The well-known Brexit figurehead politician Nigel Farage announced on Monday that he plans to stand for the general election in the United Kingdom. The general election is scheduled to take place next month and the major U-turn threatens to split the right-wing vote and further imperil the beleaguered Conservative Party. Farage, who is now 60-years-old, says he will run for the anti-immigration Reform UK Party, in a \u2018eurosceptic\u2019 seat in the southeast of England. He announced his plans to contest the polls, less than two weeks after ruling himself out of the July 4 contest. He will also return as party leader. The populist ex-member of the European Parliament (MEP), who has failed on seven previous attempts to be elected to the UK parliament, says he changed his mind \u2018after hearing from voters\u2019. His decision may divert key votes away from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak\u2019s embattled Tories in numerous seats, and could help the Labour opposition seize power for the first time since 2010. Farage, who is a \u2018longtime vocal supporter\u2019 of the former US president Donald Trump, was \u2018unapologetic\u2019 and insisted that his party could become the UK\u2019s foremost opposition. \u201cWhat I\u2019m really calling for, and what I intend to lead, is a political revolt, a turning of our backs on the political status quo\u201d he said at a press conference, in London. \u201cI genuinely believe we can get more votes than the Conservative party,\u201d he added. Farage predicted a Labour landslide and the Tories in a distant second, which \u2018would shift in his favour\u2019. Farage told the \u2018Sunday Times\u2019 this weekend that he was eyeing a \u201ctakeover\u201d of the Conservatives post the election.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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