'This is the immigration election', Nigel Farage says, as he stands for Parliament and slams 'grubby' Labour and Tories
3 June 2024, 22:11 | Updated: 4 June 2024, 00:34
Nigel Farage has said the General Election will be fought on immigration, after announcing he would stand at the General Election for Reform UK, in a last-minute change of heart.
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Mr Farage, who will run as an MP in the Essex seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea, said that a Reform government would "freeze non-essential migration."
He said this would "reverse long-standing wage depression and save Britain’s public services from the burden of unlimited demand."
Both the Conservatives and Labour have also vowed to bring down migration. Net migration stood at 685,000 in the year to December 2023. The same figure for the previous year was a record 764,000.
Mr Farage, who is also the new leader of the party, said that Reform's agenda was "based on the belief that the purpose of power is to best serve British citizens," adding that he would "never apologise for championing Britain and putting its people first."
The former Ukip leader, who has stood unsuccessfully for parliament seven times previously, was a key figure in the UK leaving the European Union eight years ago.
Writing in the Telegraph, he said: "The referendum of 2016 was won on a bedrock of working-class, patriotic support built by Ukip under my leadership, which in the general election just a year before had taken more votes off Labour than the Tories.
"In 2019, I pointed those voters in Boris Johnson’s direction, handing him a huge majority that he proceeded to bungle."
Mr Farage said that a similar pact would not be in place for this election.
He added: "It is time for a change. Voters understand that [Keir] Starmer’s Labour is just the different side of the same grubby coin to Sunak’s Tories. The electorate must be given the confidence that a viable alternative exists."
Nigel Farage speaks to LBC after announcing he will be standing in the General Election
Earlier, he told LBC's Natasha Clark that the election was already over, but that he wanted to be a "voice of opposition" to a presumed future Labour government.
"Labour have won, the Tories will probably hate each other even more in opposition than they do in government," he said.
"And we're going to be a very clear voice of opposition for those who don't like what is offered by the London metropolitan elite."
The Conservatives have suggested in response that voting for Reform amounts to supporting Labour.
Mr Farage had previously said he would not stand, announcing that he would focus on campaigning for Donald Trump in the US instead.
But he said on Monday: "I just realised there are millions of people out there that wanted me to do this, and if I didn't do it, they will feel very let down.
"So I'm going to do it. And you know what, we're going to get a huge number of votes, we're going to get seats in Parliament. And the ambition is to be the voice of opposition to a big Labour majority."
A YouGov poll released on Monday afternoon showed that Reform could have no MPs after the election, although the fieldwork was done before Mr Farage announced his candidacy. He said his announcement would change the results of the poll.
Mr Farage also said he would take part in a leaders' debate on Friday.
Tom Swarbrick reacts as Nigel Farage reveals he is to stand in the General Election
Mr Farage made his candidacy announcement at a press conference in south-east London on Monday afternoon, saying he wants to lead a "political revolt".
The 58-year-old has tried to become an MP on seven occasions between 1994 and 2015.
Most recently he was defeated in the 2015 general election for the seat of South Thanet in Kent by Conservative opponent Craig Mackinlay.
On Monday, Mr Farage said he wanted to lead a "political revolt".
A turning of our backs on the political status quo. It doesn't work. Nothing in this country works any more."
He added there is a "rejection of the political class going on in this country".
Mr Farage also said he had been left too little time to prepare when Rishi Sunak called a surprise election and had decided the "rational thing to do" was to "do my bit as I put it supporting the country around the party".
But he said since then he had been talking to people on the streets and observed that "there is a rejection of the political class going on in this country in a way that has not been seen in modern times".
Mr Farage said: "The other thing that really shook me in a way last week were the number of people coming up to me in the street saying 'Nigel, why aren't you standing?'"
Read more: General Election LIVE: Keir Starmer says ‘new age of insecurity has begun’ at defence speech
He predicted the Tories will be in opposition after the General Election as he took the fight to Rishi Sunak's party.
"They are split down the middle on policy, and frankly right now they don't stand for a damn thing.
"So our aim in this election is to get many, many millions of votes. And I'm talking far more votes than Ukip can got back in 2015."
Tom Swarbrick reacts as Nigel Farage reveals he is to stand in the General Election
He continued: "When people start to realise in the red wall, with Reform second to Labour, when they start to realise that actually in those seats, it's a Conservative vote that's a vote for Labour, it's a Conservative vote that is a wasted vote, then I think we might just surprise everybody."
He added: "We are appealing to Conservative voters, we are appealing to Labour voters."
Mr Farage said there was "every chance" that Reform would get more votes than the Conservatives.
He added: "They are on the verge of total collapse." Asked whether he has boosted Sir Keir Starmer's chances by running for parliament, the new Reform leader said: "No, is the answer."
He added that in a week's time, "I think you'll see we're going to start drawing from Labour equally as much as the Conservatives. The Conservative Party have lost this election without my intervention".
Richard Tice will now serve as chairman of the party, it was also announced at the press conference.
Mr Tice had previously previously defended Mr Farage after he announced he would not be standing in order to help Donald Trump in his campaign to return to the White House.
He previously spoke to LBC about how Mr Farage was going to get "stuck in" campaigning for Reform for the upcoming election.
When he was asked whether he had discussed his latest political move with Mr Trump, Mr Farage said: "I think the Donald's got other things to be dealing with just at this moment in time. He's been rather busy, including joining TikTok and racing up to ridiculous numbers."
Following his historic conviction last week, Mr Farage said: "Conviction or not, I haven't changed my mind that the world would be a safer place with Donald Trump in the White House."
He added: "Clearly, if I'm elected the MP for Clacton and I'm there every Friday ... it'll become more difficult, but not impossible."
Richard Tice says Nigel Farage will still be a 'huge help' despite not running for Reform UK
On the leadership announcement, the Tories said Nigel Farage is "doing exactly what Keir Starmer wants him to do" by entering the election fray.
A Conservative Party spokesman 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.
"Just yesterday, EU insiders openly voiced their expectation that Starmer would seek a softer Brexit deal, opening the door to rejoining the EU all together. That would mean uncontrolled immigration and betraying the will of the British people.
"Is Farage really willing to risk undoing his life's work by handing Starmer a blank cheque to rejoin the EU?
"Only a vote for Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives can deliver a clear plan, bold action and a secure future for our country."
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."
Read more: Diane Abbott says she is standing for Labour and denies she was offered peerage by Starmer
The following candidates will be standing in Clacton-on-Sea:
- Matthew Bensilum (Liberal Democrats)
- Nigel Farage (Reform UK)
- Natasha Osben (Green)
- Jovan Owusu-Nepaul (Labour)
- Giles Watling (Conservative)
