UK: Farage Confirms He Will Not Stand Providing Some Boost To Conservatives

Veteran eurosceptic politician Nigel Farage has confirmed that he will not stand in the upcoming general election for the right-wing populist Reform UK. In a letter to Reform's leader Richard Tice, Farage said that "I will do my bit to help in the campaign, but it is not the right time for me to go any further than that." Instead, Farage outlined his focus on promoting the Trump campaign in the US presidential election. 

• Despite contesting seven elections, Farage has never won a seat in the Commons. However, his 'celebrity status' and personable campaigning style was seen as key in Reform's predecessor UKIP winning 12.6% of the vote in the 2015 general election, and in the 2016 referendum on leaving the EU. Farage playing a less prominent role in the Reform UK campaign could provide something of a boost to PM Rishi Sunak's centre-right Conservatives. 
• Recent polling has had Reform winning between 8-14% of the vote. The party is seen as particularly strong in the 'red wall' seats in northern England that for many years had been safe Labour territory but in 2019 were won en masse by Boris Johnson's Conservatives. A strong Reform turnout in these seats would likely prove enough to turn the red wall red once again. 
• Even without a Farage-led ReformUK campaign taking more votes from the Conservatives, the odds remain stacked against anything other than a comfortable majority for Sir Keir Starmer and his centre-left Labour party.