Nigel Farage, the populist broadcaster and politician who supports Brexit, said on Thursday that he will not run for a seat in the British Parliament in a general election on July 4, the priority is focused on helping former President Donald J. Trump retake the White House in November.
Mr Farage’s announcement may come as a modest relief to Chancellor Rishi Sunak and his Conservative Party, as Mr Farage’s current party, Reform UK, is seen as a significant threat to the Conservative party from the right. But Mr Farage said he would “do his part” to help Reform, which plans to field a slate of candidates in the election, running on an anti-immigration message.
“However, what is important is the general election,” Mr. Farage posted on social media“The competition in the United States on November 5 has great significance globally. A strong America as a close ally is vital to our peace and security. I intend to help the grassroots campaign in the United States in any way I can.”
Mr. Farage, 60, a presenter on the right-wing British TV channel GB News, campaigned for Mr. Trump in 2020 and interviewed him in March at his Palm Beach, Mar. His -a-Lago. Mr. Trump once suggested that The British government appointed Mr. Farage as ambassador to Washington.
But Mr. Farage’s electoral record has been mixed: He has run for Parliament seven times but has never won a seat, although he has been elected to the European Parliament. He remained in the spotlight in other ways, including the headline-grabbing announcement that his exclusive private bank, Coutts, abandoned him as a customer because of his polarizing political views.
Mr. Farage’s decision not to run was not a big surprise given his lucrative broadcasting career. Reform leader Richard Tice tried to put a good face on the announcement, stressing that Mr Farage would be part of the campaign and that the party planned to field candidates in 630 seats across the country England and Scotland.
Mr Tice said he would run for a seat in Boston and Skegness, a constituency more than 100 miles north of London that voted in favor of Brexit in 2016.
Mr Sunak called an early election on Wednesday, several months earlier than expected, to take advantage of some glimmer of Good economic news for the UK. But Reform’s emphasis on immigration could expose weaknesses for the Conservative government, which has failed to deliver on Mr Sunak’s promise to stem the flow of asylum seekers across the English Channel. small boats.
