Nigel Farage, former leader of the Brexit Party, now rebranded Reform UK, has confirmed he will not run in the British general election called for July 4. The GB News host will instead focus on helping Donald Trump and the America First movement reclaim power in the United States.
“I have thought long and hard as to whether I should stand in the upcoming general election,” Farage wrote in a statement posted on social media.
“As honorary president of Reform UK, I am fully supportive of Richard Tice’s leadership and urge voters to put their trust in him and Lee Anderson,” he added, referring to Reform’s party leader and its only Member of Parliament (MP), the former deputy chairman of the governing Conservative (Tory) party.
“I will do my bit to help in the campaign, but it is not the right time for me to go any further than that,” he confirmed.
Farage explained that while the British general election is “important,” the American general election in November “has huge global significance.”
AMERICA FIRST.
“A strong America as a close ally is vital for our peace and security. I intend to help with the grassroots campaign in the USA in any way I can,” he wrote.
He concluded by branding both the Conservatives and the opposition Labour party, the latter expected to oust the former in a landslide, “uninspiring.” He added that “only Reform have the radical agenda that is needed to end decline in [the United Kingdom]” – but the right-populist party is currently projected to win zero seats, thanks to a third-past-the-post system that stacks the deck against new parties.
Farage was the first major political figure from overseas to be received by then-President-elect Trump in 2016, meeting him at Trump Tower alongside National Pulse editor-in-chief Raheem Kassam and figures from the Leave.EU campaign.
Farage had campaigned for Trump against Hillary Clinton, arguing the America First movement was an extension of the broader anti-globalism movement in the West that he had championed during his successful campaign against the European Union earlier in 2016.
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) May 23, 2024