Nigel Farage reveals ambition to be Prime Minister by 2029 ahead of Reform UK manifesto launch
17 June 2024, 12:05 | Updated: 17 June 2024, 12:10
Nigel Farage has confirmed his ambition to be prime minister by 2029 as Reform UK is set to launch its general election manifesto.
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This comes after Reform polled ahead of the Conservatives for the first time leading to Mr Farage declaring himself as the real “leader of the opposition”.
The former UKIP leader announced at the start of June that he would stand as the Reform candidate in Clacton and would be leader of the party just days after ruling himself out of a return to frontline politics.
Mr Farage spoke to the BBC on his political ambitions with Reform set to launch its election document, which it calls “Our Contract with You”, in South Wales on Monday afternoon.
When asked if he would stand to be prime minister in 2029, he said: "Yes, absolutely.
"I think the disconnect between the Labour and Conservative Westminster-based parties and the country - the thoughts, hopes and aspirations of ordinary people - are so far apart from where our politics is."
On the party's plans, he said: "(The Conservatives) can't agree on anything, they're split down the middle, and we know what we stand for, we know what we believe in, and for democracy to function properly there needs to be a proper voice of opposition.
"And our plan - and this is our first big election as a party - our plan is to establish that bridgehead in parliament and to use that voice to build a big national campaigning movement around the country over the course of the next five years for genuine change."
Mr Farage was questioned on Labour's lead in the polls despite the party not mentioning migration in their six key pledges.
He criticised the Welsh Labour government and said that Reform are "on your side", are "unashamedly patriotic", and concluded that immigration and the "exploding population" should be the main issue in this election.
This comes after Reform candidate Grant StClair-Armstrong resigned on Sunday after social media comments emerged in which he called on people to vote for the British National Party (BNP).
Mr Farage said to the BBC that Mr StClair-Armstrong is a "chap in his 70s" and that "he was never a member of the BNP, however, we don't find that acceptable".
A week earlier, Reform candidate Ian Gribbin had apologised for an old internet post which said Britain should have “taken Hitler up on his offer of neutrality” instead of fighting the Nozais in the Second World War.
Mr Farage said on Monday all parties are facing difficulties with candidates due to the short campaign and the external vetting Reform paid for "wasn't done".
The Reform leader had previously ruled out his return to UK politics due to his potential involvement in the US election having expressed support for Donald Trump.
He said at the time: “It is not the right time for me… Important though the general election is, the contest in the United States of America on November 5 has huge global significance.”
After being found guilty of falsifying business records in relation to a hush-money payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, Mr Trump is facing three more criminal cases including one in relation to whether he illegally conspired to overturn his 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden.
When questioned on Monday whether Mr Trump wanted to overturn a democratic election, Mr Farage said it was a "matter of opinion".
He added: "What happened on January the 6th should not have happened, of that there's no doubt whatsoever. Did he actually urge people to storm the Capitol building? No, he didn't."
When pressed on the issue, he said: "No, I don't approve of objecting to elections, even though I object to much of what's happening in our system, with postal vote corruption and many other things."
