Nigel Farage has announced he will not stand in the UK general election, dealing a blow to the Reform party on the first day of its election campaign. The former Ukip leader put an end to weeks of speculation that he would make an eighth attempt to enter parliament, confirming his decision on X just hours before Reform leader Richard Tice launched the party's campaign in London.
In his statement, Farage said he was fully supportive of Tice's leadership and urged voters to trust him and the party's sole MP Lee Anderson. He added that he wanted to be free to campaign in the US presidential election later this year, describing the contest on November 5 as having 'huge global significance'. Farage is the most popular politician in the UK according to YouGov, and many in Reform had hoped his candidacy would boost their vote share.
A Savanta poll on Thursday showed about a third of Tory voters were disappointed he was not running, while YouGov data for the Progressive Policy Institute indicated Reform has doubled its vote share among working-class Britons from 7 points in 2019 to 14 points now. One Reform activist said Farage had 'kept people waiting' and appeared to be 'hedging his bets for the future', while a party candidate noted that Reform 'can't be dependent on the charisma of one man'.
Tice brushed off any disappointment, telling reporters he was 'thrilled' that Farage would help campaign over the next six weeks, and confirmed Farage would stand aside from his GB News show during the campaign. Farage later appeared as a guest on his usual GB News slot, claiming he had been preparing to launch a campaign next week before Rishi Sunak announced the election date, adding: 'I wonder whether the Conservative party found out about it.'
Tice confirmed Reform plans to run in 630 seats across England, Scotland and Wales, with about 450 candidates already selected. He acknowledged past problems with candidates expressing extreme views but said vetting processes had improved, comparing it to an MOT. Reform is ultimately owned by Farage but has been mainly bankrolled by Tice, who has contributed about 80% of its declared funding since 2021. Tice noted the party spends less than £1.5m a year, far below the Conservatives and Labour.
