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Agence France-Presse

Brexiteer Nigel Farage said on Monday that his hard-right Reform UK party intends to use next month’s general election to ultimately supplant the ruling Conservatives as Britain’s main opposition party.
Farage, 60, acknowledged that his anti-immigration upstarts would not win the July 4 vote, but said it would propel them towards the next election, likely to be held in five years’ time.
“This is not something with which we’re going to govern the country. That’s not possible in this election,” said Farage as he launched his party’s election pledges in Merthyr Tydfil, in south Wales.
Most polls have Reform trailing the Conservatives, but a YouGov survey last week put the fringe outfit ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s party for the first time.
The UK’s winner-takes-all voting system favours the bigger parties, but Reform’s current polling suggests it will damage the Tories by splitting the right-wing vote.
Farage claimed Reform was “running very fast to catch up” with the main parties and was increasing its support among younger voters.
“This election is for our party, and for me, the first important step on the road to 2029,” said Farage, who is bidding to win a seat in the UK parliament after seven previous failed attempts.
“Our ambition is to establish a bridgehead in parliament, and to become a real opposition to a Labour government.”
Farage did a deal with the Conservatives at the last general election in 2019 that saw his Brexit Party not field candidates against the Tories in many seats.
With the Brexit Party now renamed Reform UK, he has ruled out a similar agreement this time.

Farage said the Tories would not be able to provide opposition in parliament because “they spend most of their days arguing among themselves, and they’re split down the middle when it comes to policy”.
Reform is also stealing some voters away from the centre-left Labour Party, particularly in predominantly white working-class areas, pollsters say.
The party wants to scrap net-zero energy commitments, proposes a “freeze” on net migration, and wants to look at alternative funding models for Britain’s state-run National Health Service.
Reform’s policies are designed to appeal to the right of centre voters who would typically back Sunak’s Conservatives, and they demand change across all the main policy areas.
Immigration, the issue on which Farage has for more than a decade struck a chord with voters, received top billing.
They also proposed an extra payroll tax on companies who employ foreign workers.
That tax was one of a raft of measures, including shaving 15 billion pounds off the benefits bill, to raise money that would be spent on tax cuts elsewhere, including raising the income tax threshold to £20,000 (US$25,000), slashing fuel duty by 20 pence per litre and getting rid of value added tax on energy bills.
“This is not a protest document, this is not a protest vote,” Farage said. “We’re unashamedly radical, we want change, this isn’t working.”


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Britain

Brexiteer Nigel Farage vows tighter borders, tax cuts, Reform to be ‘real’ UK opposition

Leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage delivers a speech to launch the hard-right party’s general election manifesto. Photo: AFP

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, during the launch of the party’s ‘Our Contract with You’ general election manifesto on Monday. Photo: Bloomberg

UK election 2024: PM Sunak pledges tax cuts as Conservatives try to trim Labour’s lead in polls

Conservative Party leader Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers the party’s election manifesto on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Rishi Sunak, UK prime minister, launches the Conservative Party general election manifesto in Silverstone, UK, on Tuesday. Photo: Bloomberg

Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is leading the Conservative Party by about 20 points in election polls. Photo: TNS

Scale of Sunak’s UK election challenge laid bare by disastrous polling

A rain-soaked Rishi Sunak announcing the UK election date last month. His party is expected lose by a wide margin. Photo: Reuters


Britain’s Labour Party leader Keir Starmer. Photo: PA via AP

Leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage. Photo: AFP

Farage’s Reform UK overtakes PM Sunak’s Conservatives in poll for first time

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on the campaign trail. Photo: PA via AP

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden at the G7 Summit in Italy this week. Photo: AFP

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer. Photo: PA via AP

UK election 2024: Starmer sets out Labour’s economy-focused campaign manifesto

British opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaks at the launch of the Labour Party’s manifesto, in Manchester on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Britain’s Labour Party leader Keir Starmer poses for a photograph ahead of his party’s election manifesto launch in Manchester on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s and Conservative Party trails the Labour Party by about 20 points in the polls ahead of next month’s election. Photo: Agence France-Presse/Pool

UK election 2024: why immigration is a major issue

Elizabeth Tower, more commonly known as Big Ben, in London. The UK election will be held on July 4. Photo: Reuters

The UK Border checkpoint at London’s Heathrow Airport. Photo: Bloomberg

Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, soaked in rain, announcing the election for July 4. Photo: Reuters

 Nigel Farage, leader of Britain’s right-wing populist party Reform UK, is running. Photo: AFP

News

World

Europe

Reform’s policies are designed to appeal to the right of centre voters who would typically back PM Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives


Reform’s policies are designed to appeal to the right of centre voters who would typically back PM Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives. The UK election is set for July 4.


Rishi Sunak

UK economy

Brexit