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Nigel Farage: Britain's increasingly popular populist eyes the premiership

As voters grow frustrated with Labour and with Conservatives consigned to the political wilderness, the man who became the face of Brexit gets a spike in the polls

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Nigel Farage: Britain's increasingly popular populist eyes the premiership

Con Coughlin

last update on 23 Mar 2025

Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK’s insurgent Reform party, may have only been elected as an MP for a few months, but such is the dramatic impact he and his party are having on the landscape of British politics that he is already being spoken of as a future prime minister.

Prior to being elected MP for the Clacton constituency in Essex at last year’s general election, Farage had previously come to prominence during his long stint serving as a Member of the European Parliament for the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP).

As such, Farage became a prominent campaigner for Brexit, eventually setting up the Brexit Party in 2019—a movement that was designed to ensure that the British government fully fulfilled the desire of the majority of the British people to break with the European Union, which was the outcome of the controversial Brexit referendum in 2016.

The Brexit Party eventually became Reform UK in 2021, and Farage’s determination to maintain his campaign for a clear break with the EU resulted in his new party winning their first seats in the British parliament in the 2024 general election.

Ben Stansall / AFP — Newly appointed leader of Britain's right-wing populist party, Reform UK, and the party's parliamentary candidate‬ ‭ for Clacton, Nigel Farage addresses supporters during his general election campaign launch on June 4, 2024.

Farage’s success in winning the election as an MP came after he had contested various seats in seven previous general elections without success. Nonetheless, Farage has been the face of Euroscepticism in the UK for nearly three decades. He has also moved between politics and media roles during his career.

Now, with the Conservative Party consigned to the political wilderness following their disastrous defeat in last year’s election and Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour administration proving deeply unpopular with voters, there is growing speculation that, come the next election, Reform could emerge as a dominant force in British politics, with Farage becoming a serious contender to become prime minister.

With the latest opinion polls showing that Reform’s share of the vote in local council elections has increased by 9% since last year, there is a real chance that Farage’s party could win more seats when the next round of elections is held. And there is mounting concern in the ruling Labour Party that Reform could inflict a humiliating defeat on Labour in forthcoming by-elections for parliamentary seats.

Farage’s emergence as a populist, anti-establishment campaigner has inevitably drawn comparisons with US President Donald Trump, with whom Farage is on good terms, being a frequent guest at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. And, like Trump, Farage has not had a conventional political career, instead opting to become a successful businessman before entering the world of politics.

A wave of Labour and Conservative politicians have defected to Farage's Reform ahead of local elections

Early life and career

He was born in Kent in 1964. His father was a stockbroker, and his family was well-off. He attended Dulwich College, a prestigious private school in south London. At age 18, instead of pursuing a university education, he became a commodities trader. Initially a Conservative, he joined the newly formed UKIP when it was created in 1993 in order to support the Eurosceptic party's campaign for Britain's withdrawal from the EU. He was elected to the European Parliament in 1999 and was re-elected in 2004 and 2009.

After becoming party leader in 2006, Farage campaigned for UKIP to stop focusing on a single issue and to develop policies on a broad range of economic and social issues, including immigration. He was helped by his own exuberant personality and, for many voters, by his reputation as someone who defied "political correctness".

After the 2010 general election, Farage expanded UKIP's appeal, especially to Conservatives who were unhappy with the performance of then Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative-led coalition government. In local elections in Britain in 2012, UKIP made significant gains at the ballot box, increasing its share of the vote in England to about 14%.

In light of UKIP's increasing popularity under Farage's leadership and in an attempt to secure the support of Eurosceptic members of his own party, in January 2013, Cameron took the fateful decision to hold a referendum on Britain's continued membership in the EU. UKIP did even better in local elections in May 2013, taking almost a quarter of the vote in wards that it contested. UKIP carried that momentum into the following year, winning more than 160 council seats in local elections in May 2014.

Farage regularly spoke at Trump's re-election rallies in 2020 and is a regular guest at the US president's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida

Those elections were held concurrently with polls for the European Parliament. Fulfilling a goal set by Farage, UKIP rode a wave of Eurosceptic sentiment to a historic first-place finish. The party captured more than 27% of the popular vote, resulting in 24 seats. That result marked the first time since 1906 that a party other than Labour or the Conservatives had won a national election.

Brexit advocate

Ahead of the 23 June 2016 "in or out" Brexit vote, Farage argued that Europe's ongoing migrant crisis and terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels were evidence that Britain needed to leave the bloc.

Polling ahead of the contest indicated a tight race, and both Cameron and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn made the case for continued EU membership. In the event, 52% of voters supported Brexit, a result that Farage described as Britain's "independence day."

Two weeks after the referendum, Farage announced his resignation as UKIP leader, saying that his "political ambition has been achieved." In April 2019, after Prime Minister Theresa May and the EU agreed to delay Britain's departure until 31 October, Farage responded by launching the Brexit Party. Farage declared that candidates for the Brexit Party would stand in the European Parliament elections scheduled for May 2019, claiming that his fundamental goal was to "change politics" in the UK.

Getty — Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump, left, listens to United Kingdom Independence Party leader Nigel‬‭ Farage speaks during a campaign rally at the Mississippi Coliseum on August 24, 2016, in Jackson, Mississippi.‬‭

Soon afterwards, Farage announced his intention to travel to the US to speak at rallies for Trump's 2020 re-election campaign. On 29 January 2020, two days before the United Kingdom formally departed from the European Union, Farage concluded his two-decade tenure in the European Parliament with an address attacking that body and citing the benefits of populism.

In late 2020, Farage announced that the Brexit Party would rebrand under the new name Reform UK, with Brexit having been accomplished. By 2021, Farage had mostly removed himself from politics and instead worked as a television host and media personality.

As the July 2024 general election approached, though, Farage initially made it clear that he would not be running for Parliament and would instead devote his time to Trump's campaign to serve a second term as president. Apart from establishing close ties with Trump, Farage also became friends with Elon Musk.

Then, on June 3, Farage made the surprise political decision that he intended to return as Reform UK's leader and contest the 2014 general election, which resulted in him finally realising his ambition to become an MP. Under his leadership, Reform won a total of four seats, about 1% of Parliament, though it won the third largest share of votes in the election, gaining the support of disaffected Conservative voters.

HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP — Honorary President of Britain's right-wing populist party Reform UK and newly appointed leader Nigel Farage‬‭ speaks during a campaign meeting on June 3, 2024, ahead of the UK general election of July 4.

Reform priorities

One of Reform's key policies is its uncompromising approach to the issue of immigration, calling for the UK to pursue a policy of "Net Zero Immigration", with the immediate deportation of foreign criminals and stopping small boat crossings.

In foreign affairs, the party wants to scrap the Windsor Framework arrangement on the movement of goods from the EU to Northern Ireland, withdraw the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and cut foreign aid by 50%.

With tax and economy, the party campaigns for the reduction of a wide range of business and personal taxes while scrapping "unnecessary regulations" and simplifying the tax system. Regarding crime and justice, the party wants to boost police numbers, end "woke" policing and build 10,000 new prison places.

Farage's combative nature means that he often finds his leadership style being questioned by other party members, with the party recently experiencing an unseemly internal squabble after Rupert Lowe, another prominent Reform MP, accused Farage of leading the party like a "messiah". A furious Farage responded by suspending Lowe from the party and denouncing his fellow MP as being "disgusting" and "contemptible."

Despite this acrimonious row, Reform under Farage continues to make progress, with the party recently announcing that a wave of local politicians from both Labour and Conservatives had decided to defect to Reform ahead of upcoming local elections.

Farage is nothing if not ambitious, which was reflected in comments he made in a recent interview with The Times newspaper. When asked if there was a chance he could become the next UK prime minister, Farage replied confidently, "There's a good chance."

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