Nigel Farage has announced that he will stand in the general election after all and is becoming leader of Reform UK.
In a major U-turn, he said he will stand for the party in the Clacton constituency.
The previous leader, Richard Tice, is standing aside and will become Reform UK’s chairman instead.
Farage announced last month that it was “not the right time” for him run for parliament again.
The former Ukip leader said he wanted to concentrate on the “grassroots campaign” in America to re-elect his friend Donald Trump as president.
But at a press conference in London today, he said: “I have decided I’ve changed my mind. It’s allowed you know. It’s not always a sign of weakness, it can be a sign of strength.”
He added: “I changed my mind because I can’t let down millions of people who would feel let down by me if I didn’t lead the charge over the next five years.”
Farage has previously tried and failed to become an MP seven times between 1994 and 2005.
Clacton is currently held by the Tories, for whom Giles Watling won it in 2019 with a majority of 24,702.
However, it was held by Ukip’s Douglas Carswell between 2014 and 2017, suggesting Farage has a good chance of finally becoming an MP at the eighth attempt.
A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage risks handing Keir Starmer a blank cheque to rejoin the EU, impose the retirement tax on pensioners and hike taxes on hardworking Brits up and down the UK.
“Farage knows that Reform won’t win any seats, but he doesn’t seem to care that a vote for Reform only helps Labour. He’s doing exactly what Keir Starmer wants him to do.”
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “The Conservative Party has already become the mirror image of Nigel Farage’s Reform.
“Rishi Sunak’s constant pandering to Reform has horrified former lifelong Conservative voters in the centre ground.
“Sunak must show some backbone and rule out Farage ever joining the Conservative Party in future, including if he gets elected to be an MP.”
