United Kingdom: Controversial conservative Nigel Farage runs for election

British politician Nigel Farage announced he is running the general elections in the United Kingdom as a candidate for the head of government. He announced his campaign this Monday. Farage rose to fame in the last decade for his Eurosceptic and pro-Brexit campaign.

Nigel Farage's announcement could be bad news for Rishi Sunak and the Tories, due to the possibility of Farage taking away votes from Labor. The polls are not looking great for Sunak, who called for early elections two weeks ago. Labor leads at least 20 points in the polls.

Farage is running for the Reform UK party. He is demanding tougher policies than conservatives, especially on issues such as immigration and the British national identity. These issues have always been at the forefront of Farage's ideas, whom his opponents brand as far-right and an authoritarian fascist.

Farage's decision contradicts his previous statements. In May, he claimed that he would not run in these elections to focus on other projects, including supporting Donald Trump in the race for the White House. However, on Monday Farage claimed that the conservatives were destined to be swept away by a wave of disdain for the political establishment and were "on the verge of total collapse."

Threat to the Tories

In his public appearances, Farage has made claims that he will destroy the British Conservative Party. He said that it wouldn’t be a merger between both parties but "more of an absorption, dear," he said in an interview this weekend with The Sunday Times.

According to analysts cited by the New York Times, it is very likely that the most conservative voters of the Tories will lean towards Farage, although the party remains in a minority. This could widen the gap between Sunak and Labour's Keir Starmer.

Campaign in Clacton

Nigel Farage kicked off his campaign in Clacton, a municipality that voted in favor of Brexit, which is why the conservatives have chosen it to have as many options as possible to win a seat.

Nigel Farage has never been elected to the British Parliament, although he was a member of the European Parliament for two decades before Britain left the European Union. With the British electoral system, obtaining representation in Westminster is not easy for small political groups outside the Tories and Labor. Only five other parties obtained representation in the last elections, two of them were regional parties. None obtained a percentage of votes greater than 7.4%.

However, Farage's first day of campaigning has been eventful. Two people were arrested this Tuesday after throwing a drink at the British politician when he was leaving a pub in the English town. The moment, captured by the cameras at the scene, has gone viral and is the first thing that comes up when searching for information about Farage.

The candidate responded on social media by toasting with a milkshake and ensuring that his “milkshake brings all the people to the rally," making a reference to Kelis' Milkshake song.