Nigel Farage to think ‘overnight’ about Reform candidacy in General Election

Nigel Farage has said he will think “overnight” about whether he will be standing for the Reform UK in the upcoming General Election.

There has been speculation that Mr Farage, the party’s honorary president, could return to frontline politics for the election, which was announced for July 4 on Wednesday.

He has been heavily linked with a switch to the Conservative Party, with former Tory minister Robert Jenrick saying earlier this month he would “not oppose” Mr Farage joining the party.

Reform is seeking to attract disillusioned Conservative voters, mainly over the issues of immigration and net zero.

Speaking on GB News after the election announcement, Mr Farage said: “Richard Tice has got [Reform] up and running, there are 500 candidates selected, he will get more.

“The whole plan for Reform was that it was a six-year plan – fight this election, get ready for when Labour fail, which they will.

“[Sir Kier] Starmer’s first cabinet will not have the competence that Blair’s first cabinet had by an absolute mile.

“Reform will fight the election. As for what I do, I’ll think about it overnight.”

Mr Farage said there was “no commitment either way from me at the moment”, adding: “I met a Cabinet minister at a social event on Monday this week, and the venom directed towards me was quite extraordinary, the fear was quite extraordinary.”

In a video message posted on X, Reform leader Richard Tice said the party was ready for the election with its “common sense policies”.

He added: “People know that the Tories have broken Britain. Labour and Starmer will do what they always do, which is bankrupt Britain.”

MrFarage was previously leader of Reform UK from 2019 to 2021 when it was known as the Brexit Party.