Nigel Farage failed seven times. Now the politician known as “Mr. Brexit” has made it into the House of Commons. His role model is Donald Trump.
The right-wing populist and Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage is entering the British Parliament for the first time. The leader of the Reform UK party won by a clear margin in the Clacton-on-Sea constituency in southeast England.
Farage needed eight attempts to win a seat in the House of Commons. The 60-year-old sat in the EU Parliament for decades for the right-wing Ukip party and is considered the driving force behind the referendum on Britain’s exit from the EU. He is therefore also known as “Mr. Brexit”.
“Guys, this is huge”
With his surprise candidacy, Farage has put the previous conservative governing party under pressure from the right, thereby contributing to its devastating election defeat. In addition to the party leader, Lee Anderson is also entering parliament for the right-wing populists. The former deputy chief executive of the Conservatives defected to Reform UK just a few months ago.
Farage addressed his supporters in a video message that night and spoke of an “almost unbelievable result” for his party. “Guys, this is huge.”
The role model is former US President Trump
Farage’s declared aim is to replace the Tories – who have far more representatives in parliament – with a conservative movement under his leadership. The role model is former US President Donald Trump, with whom the Briton says he is friends. In view of the internal party disputes within the Conservatives, he will be the de facto opposition leader, Farage said in a conversation with the German Press Agency during the election campaign.
The Conservatives may actually be facing a completely new beginning. Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, a promising candidate to succeed Sunak, has already speculated about a possible inclusion of Farage in her party.
In five years, the office of Prime Minister is also within the realm of possibility, said Farage. He did not want to say whether he had coordinated with Trump. He never commented on private conversations with the 45th President of the United States. “But he seems quite benevolent.”