‘Join the rebellion’: Britain’s Farage will develop electoral policy | WTAQ News Discussion

Authors: Elizabeth Piper and William James

MERTHYR TYDFIL, Wales (Reuters) – Nigel Farage, whose participation in the British election dashed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s already slim hopes of victory, will outline the policy of his Reform UK party on Monday, saying it should form an opposition to the Labor government.

Farage is one of Britain’s most recognizable divisive politicians and has pressured successive governments to take a more aggressive stance on curbing immigration. He played a key role in the vote to leave the European Union in 2016.

However, his career was spent campaigning from the fringes of British politics – he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in Parliament seven times and led parties that, despite winning millions of votes, failed to weaken the grip of the two main British parties – the Conservatives and Labor.

On Monday he called on Sunak’s Conservative supporters to “join the rebellion” and said the Labor Party, whose leader Keir Starmer is expected to become the next prime minister, would throw the country into ruin if it was not stopped.

“We need the right voice of dissent,” Farage told the BBC ahead of an event in Wales where he will unveil Reform policy.

“This is our first big election as a party. Our plan is to establish a foothold in parliament and use that voice to build a large national agitation movement across the country for real change over the next five years.”

Reform chose Merthyr for its premiere to highlight what it says is workers’ misrule in Wales.

Farage has said he intends to become prime minister at the next election, likely in 2029.

His unexpected entry into the election race – he initially announced that he would not stand and wanted to concentrate on campaigning for Donald Trump in the United States – divided support among right-wing voters in the UK.

Labor is polling around 20 percentage points ahead and is projected to win a clear majority on July 4. Reform was ahead of the Conservatives in one poll last week, with Farage setting himself a target of winning six million votes in the July 4 election.

Other polls put them far behind the ruling party, and according to the British electoral system Reform is expected to win at most a small handful of seats.

“JOIN THE REVOLT”

The reform campaign has so far given little detail on policy, instead focusing on Farage and his populist appeal.

The 60-year-old received an expensive private education and worked as a commodity trader, but has successfully established himself as a man of the people who stands up to an out-of-touch political establishment.

Writing on ConservativeHome, the grassroots website of the Conservative Party, Farage urged his readers: “Come join the rebellion. It’s time.”

“The Conservative Party has let you down so badly that it really is time for something – and someone – new who can unite the right. What do you have to lose?”

Last week he called for a £40 billion ($51 billion) tax cut for voters, financed by abolishing interest payments to banks by the Bank of England.

But immigration, an issue that has preoccupied Farage with voters for more than a decade, is expected to dominate their political offering as they seek to separate voters from the Conservatives and parts of Labor’s support.

“We are unashamedly patriotic and believe that immigration – population explosion – should be the central issue of this election,” Farage told the BBC.

(Writing by William James in London; Editing by Angus MacSwan)