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Newly-crowned Reform UK leader Nigel Farage will kick off his general election campaign in Clacton on Tuesday, as he begins his eighth bid to become an MP.
In a blow to Rishi Sunak, the former Ukip leader announced on Monday that he would stand in the Essex constituency, and declared himself Reform’s new leader, a post he said he intends to hold for five years.
The staunchly Brexit-backing constituency is believed to be hold favourable odds for Mr Farage – but it will be his party’s impact on the national picture that is of most concern to the Conservatives.
Writing for The Times in the wake of YouGov’s major poll suggesting Labour is on course to win the largest majority in 100 years, polling guru Sir John Curtice noted that Reform’s decision to contest Tory seats was “but one reason” why YouGov’s estimate that the Tories could find themselves with just 140 seats is credible.
This was “even though it implies that the party could lose as many as 60 more seats than would be the case if its support were to fall by the same amount everywhere”, Sir John said.
1717486823Farage: ‘I want to take over the Tories'
Reform UK’s Nigel Farage has suggested his long-term aim was to effectively take over the Conservative Party.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain he could not stand for or seek to lead the Conservative Party “as they currently are”.
But he added: “You can speculate as to what’ll happen in three or four years’ time, all I will tell you is if Reform succeed in the way that I think they can, then a chunk of the Conservative Party will join us - it’s the other way around.”
He pointed to Canada, where “Reform did a reverse takeover of the Conservative Party, rebranded it and Stephen Harper - who was elected as a Reform MP - became the Canadian prime minister for 10 years”.
He said: “I don’t want to join the Conservative Party, I think the better thing to do would be to take it over.”
Caroline Lucas on Farage’s ‘zero’ net migration: ‘Massive labour shortages and public service on their knees’
Commenting on Nigel Farage’s “zero” net migration policy, former leader of the Green Party Caroline Lucas said: “Farage is perfectly clear the future he’s offering is one of massive labour shortages, public services on their knees, & yet more division & hate.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 June 2024 08:38 1717486555‘We literally don’t need any’: Farage challenged on ‘non-essential migrants'
When asked who he considers to be “non-essential migrants”, Nigel Farage replied: “Unskilled labour.”
Pushed on his terminology by BBC Radio 4 Today presenter, Mishal Hussain, he clarified: “Physical, manual labour.”
Ms Hussain asked if construction workers are included in this definition, to which he replied: “We literally don’t need any.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 June 2024 08:35 1717485821‘A vote for Reform opens the door to Labour’- Home sec
Put to him that their hearts must have sunk when Nigel Farage announced he will stand as a Reform UK candidate at the General Election, James Cleverly said: “I think the person whose heart really sank was Richard Tice, who has obviously been squeezed out.
“A vote for Reform is not going to create a Reform government, Reform is not going to form part of the next government, it is either Rishi Sunak and a Conservative government or Keir Starmer and a Labour government.
“A vote for Reform opens the door to a Labour government, and a Labour government will just open the door and wave people through into our country.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 June 2024 08:23 1717484486
Nigel Farage brands BBC newsreader ‘very, very boring’ during heated interview
Nigel Farage branded a BBC News presenter “very, very boring” during a heated debate. Mr Farage announced he will stand as a Reform UK candidate at the general election in a press conference on Tuesday (3 June). He will contest Clacton, Essex, after it was also confirmed he will take over as leader of the party. Speaking to the BBC following the announcement, Mr Farage clashed with newsreader Ben Thompson, who questioned why voters should “trust” him after seven failed attempts to become an MP. “I think you’re very, very boring. And I think your viewers will find you very boring,” the Reform UK candidate said.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 June 2024 08:01 1717483854Cleverly: ‘Reform is a vehicle for Farage’s self-promotion'
Home Secretary James Cleverly said he was surprised at the decision by Reform UK’s Nigel Farage to stand in Clacton.
“The last time I heard him make reference to Clacton, he was saying that he didn’t want to spend every Friday in Clacton,” Mr Cleverly told Sky News.
“Reform has always been a vehicle for Nigel Farage’s self-promotion, I think Richard Tice is now discovering that rather painfully.”
He said Sir Keir Starmer would love people to vote for Reform because it “opens the door” to a Labour government.
John Curtice says Nigel Farage could cost Tories up to 60 seats
Polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice has said Nigel Farage’s decision to take over as leader of Reform UK will deal a significant blow to the Conservatives, potentially costing them as many as 60 seats.
Mr Curtice noted Mr Farage’s announcement came on the same afternoon as the release of YouGov’s first MRP poll for this election, which has the Conservatives down nearly 20 points in the vote and at risk of losing three in five of their seats.
These polling figures are at least partly due to the steady 10 per cent support for the Reform party, led by Mr Farage, which attracts former Conservative voters who supported Brexit in 2019, he said.
John Curtice says Nigel Farage could cost Tories up to 60 seats
Farage’s announcement of a return to frontline politics coincided with devastating new polling figures for the Conservatives
Maryam Zakir-Hussain4 June 2024 07:31 1717453191Tories unveil immigration pledge within hours of Farage announcement
Nigel Farage’s announcement came on a day when two major polls suggested that the Tories were already heading for a historically bad defeat. A YouGov MRP poll of 12,000 people predicted Labour will have its biggest ever majority, of 194, with the Tories marooned on 140 seats.
Within hours of the revelation, Tory MPs and candidates were being asked to attend a briefing on an “immigration lock” pledge which means a Conservative government would set a legal limit on annual immigration figures.
The move was being seen as a bid to stop Reform UK and Mr Farage splitting the vote on the right.
Here are more details on the policy:
Tories vow annual cap on visas in general election pledge to cut immigration
Sunak unveils policy long demanded by Tory hardliners such as Suella Braverman, as challenger Farage insists 4 July ballot is an ‘immigration election’
Andy Gregory3 June 2024 23:19 1717453113Tories face ‘existential risk’ as Farage declares he will stand as a candidate for Reform UK
Nigel Farage has electrified the general election campaign, taking over as leader of Reform UK and launching a bid to become an MP.
As first revealed by The Independent, Mr Farage will run in Tory-held Clacton in Essex in what is already being described as “an existential risk” for the Tories.
The decision comes as a major blow to Rishi Sunak’s electoral hopes, as the former Ukip leader – who had said he would not run to be an MP – confirmed he had changed his mind and decided to contest the general election.
My colleagues Archie Mitchell and David Maddox have the full report:
Tories face ‘existential risk’ as Farage declares he will stand as a candidate
Nigel Farage has declared that he plans to run as a candidate, crushing Tory hopes as two more major polls suggest the party is facing a wipeout
Andy Gregory3 June 2024 23:18 1717452987Good morning, we’ll be using this blog to provide you with live updates on Nigel Farage’s general election campaign launch in Clacton, where he is seeking for the eighth time to finally enter parliament as an MP.
Andy Gregory3 June 2024 23:16Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
