Nigel Farage shakes up UK election, establishment on return to politics: 'British Trump'

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LONDON – Maverick populist leader Nigel Farage sent shockwaves across Britain’s general election as he returned to frontline politics last week, with his party set to disrupt the Conservative Party’s centuries-old grip as the most popular right-wing force in the country.

Farage announced on Monday that he will lead the right-wing Reform UK party and seek a seat in Parliament for the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea in the July 4 general election to "make Britain great again."

"So I’m back. I’m standing as a candidate in this election. I’ve taken the leadership over of Reform UK," Farage said in a video posted to X, referring to the successor of the Brexit Party. "You know why? I see our country going down the drain. I believe in Britain. These boring idiots that lead the Labour and Conservative parties are not worth the space."

The announcement comes after Farage’s nearly half-decade hiatus from political campaigning amid the success of the Brexit campaign to leave the European Union (EU). Britain voted to leave the EU in the contentious 2016 referendum and formally departed in 2020.

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"I can’t turn my back on those millions of people who followed me, believed in me," Farage said in a speech. "I’ve changed my mind because I can’t let down millions of people."

Farage’s campaign launch did not go without problems,