Last modified on November 12, 2024, at 12:18

Nigel Farage

Nigel Farage


Member of the Parliament for Clacton
In office
5 July 2024 – present
Preceded by Giles Walting
Succeeded by Incumbemnt

Member of the European Parliament for South East England
In office
10 June 1999 – 31 January 2020
Preceded by Constituency created
Succeeded by Constituency abolished

Leader of the UK Independence Party
In office
5 November 2010 – 16 September 2016
Preceded by Jeffrey Titford (acting)
Succeeded by Diane James

Born Nigel Paul Farage
April 3, 1964 (age 59)
Farnborough, Kent, England
Political party Reform UK (2019-present)
Spouse(s) Gráinne Hayes (m. 1988- div. 1997)
Kirsten Mehr (m. 1999)
Children 4
Religion Church of England

Nigel Paul Farage (born 3 April 1964) is a conservative and Euroskeptic British politician, Member of Parliament, and leader of the political party Reform UK. He formerly led the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2010 to 2016; he also held that position from September 2006 to November 2009. Between 1999 and the UK's withdrawal from the EU in 2020, he was a Member of the European Parliament for South East England and co-chairs the Eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group. A popular and well-respected politician, as of Q2 2024 Farage was the most popular UK politician in the UK according to YouGov,[1] and on 4 July 2024 became a Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the first time, representing Clacton in Essex.

Farage is noted for his strong opposition to the globalist and socialist European Union.[2] His goal to leave the EU was achieved when the British people voted to leave the EU in a June 23, 2016 referendum.[3][4] Although the more liberal supporters of Brexit shunned him, he was instrumental in having the referendum held in the first place.[5]

Farage was very influential and arguably the most significant British politician in the early 21st Century.[6]

Farage strongly and vocally supported Donald Trump's successfully presidential candidacy.[7] They developed a very strong friendship, and Farage visited Trump several times after the election,[8] and Trump even stated publicly that he would make a good ambassador to the U.S.[9] Farage supports border walls to combat illegal immigration,[10] along with other conservative immigration policies.[11]

A victim of left-wing cancel culture, Nigel Farage's Coutts and Co. bank account was closed down in 2023 for reasons including his support for Donald Trump, his opposition to the trans agenda, and support for Brexit.[12] As of 4 June 2024, one day after announcing that he had become the leader of Reform UK and his decision to stand for the parliamentary seat Clacton, YouGov showed that Farage was the single most popular politician in the UK.[13]

Life

Farage was born in Farnborough, Kent, England, on April 3, 1964.

Career

Nigel Farage when he was a UKIP member.

Farage was a founding member of UKIP, having left the Conservative Party in 1992 after the signing of the Maastricht Treaty. Having unsuccessfully campaigned in European and Westminster parliamentary elections for UKIP since 1994, he won a seat as MEP for South East England in the 1999 European Parliament Election—the first year the regional list system was used—and was re-elected in 2004 and 2009.

In September 2006, Farage became the UKIP Leader and led the party through the 2009 European Parliament Election when it received the second-highest share of the popular vote, defeating Labour and the Liberal Democrats with over two million votes. He stepped down in November 2009 to concentrate on contesting the Buckingham seat of the Speaker, John Bercow, at the 2010 general election. At the 2010 General Election, Farage failed to unseat Bercow and received only the third-highest share of the vote in the constituency. Shortly after the polls opened on 6 May 2010, Farage was injured in an aircraft crash in Northamptonshire. The two-seated PZL-104 Wilga 35A had been towing a pro-UKIP banner when it flipped over and crashed shortly after takeoff. Both Farage and the pilot were hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries.

In November 2010, Farage successfully stood in the 2010 UKIP leadership contest, following the resignation of its leader, Lord Pearson of Rannoch. Farage was also ranked 41st in the Daily Telegraph's Top 100 most influential right-wingers poll in October 2009, citing his media savvy and his success with UKIP in the European Elections. Farage was ranked 58th in the 2010 list compiled by Iain Dale and Brian Brivati for the Daily Telegraph. In the same list published in 2012, Farage was ranked 17th. Farage has been noted for his passionate eurosceptic speeches in the European Parliament. Farage was one of the key figures of the Brexit campaign. Farage's main opponent in the European Parliament is the socialist elitist liberal Guy Verhofstadt, who is the Brexit negotiator of the European Parliament.

After retiring from the leadership of UKIP, Farage became a conservative talk radio host.[14] He partnered in an effort to split the far-left U.S. state of California into two states, with one of which presumably being a conservative, red state.[15] He noted in 2017 that Conservative Party Prime Minister Theresa May had adopted the exact same political positions as he had a few years earlier.[16] Farage announced in August 2018 that he would return to the frontlines of UK politics to fight the establishment's plans to neutralize Brexit.[17]

In December 2018, Farage left UKIP because of its association with Tommy Robinson, who had once been a member of the English Defence League.[18] In April 2019, he launched the Brexit Party as part of his campaign to achieve the Brexit that voters voted for in 2016.[19] Under Farage's leadership, the party came in first place in the May 2019 European Parliament elections.[20] Farage also created a group with prominent conservative Americans to promote Brexit.[21] In November 2019, he announced he would not run for the House of Commons though he would help his party elect other candidates to the parliament.[22] On November 11, 2019, Farage announced the Brexit Party would not contest seats won by the Conservative Party in 2017, in an effort to not divide the pro-Brexit vote.[23] In December 2019, Farage registered a Reform Party to help advance a conservative agenda post-Brexit.[24]

At the Tric Awards, which were held on Tuesday 27 June 2023, Farage won the award for 'Best News Presenter' for his role on GB News, beating establishment figures such as TalkTV's Piers Morgan and the BBC's Susanna Reid. Farage received a congratulatory message from the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump.[25]

On 29 June 2023, Farage announced that he may need to leave the United Kingdom as his bank has closed his account and others refused his custom. Farage told news outlets that he believed he'd been the victim of "corporate prejudice" due to him campaigning for Brexit.[26]

Reform UK

Nigel Farage's Reform UK party received 16% of the vote first time out.

References

  1. The Most Popular Politicians & Political Figures (Q2 2024)
  2. Friedman, Victoria (September 17, 2019). Farage: The EU Is ‘Building an Empire. Why Deny It?’ Breitbart News. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  3. Armstrong, Paul (July 15, 2016). Nigel Farage: Arch-eurosceptic and Brexit 'puppet master'. CNN. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  4. Jamieson, Alastair (June 25, 2016). Brexit Result: Meet the Men Who Took Britain Out of Europe. NBC News. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  5. Wiseman, Oliver (December 9, 2016). Mr. Farage Goes to Washington. National Review. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  6. Multiple references: See also:
  7. Farage, Nigel (November 22, 2016). FARAGE: I Am Prepared to Help Britain Work with President Trump. Breitbart. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  8. Multiple references: See also:
  9. Mance, Henry; Brown, John Murray (November 22, 2016). Trump’s Nigel Farage tweet ruffles UK feathers. Financial Times. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  10. Montgomery, Jack (January 9, 2019). Farage Backs Trump’s Wall: ‘I Wish Europe Had Done This Years Ago’. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  11. Zindulka, Kurt (December 11, 2019). Exclusive Migration Watch Video: Farage Has the Only ‘Sensible’ Immigration Stance. Breitbart News. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  12. Hi @BBCNews , will #BBCVerify be looking into your BBC News report that suggested @Nigel_Farage ’s @CouttsandCo account was closed...
  13. The Most Popular Politicians & Political Figures (Q1 2024)
  14. Saunders, Tristram Fane (January 5, 2017). Nigel Farage to host new nightly LBC radio show. The Telegraph. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  15. Donnelly, Tim, CA Assemblyman (March 27, 2017). Nigel Farage, ‘Bad Boys of Brexit’ Join #CalExit. Breitbart News. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  16. Merrick, Rob (May 7, 2017). Nigel Farage says Theresa May is winning because she has stolen all his policies. The Independent. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  17. Hale, Virginia (August 18, 2018). ‘I’m Back’ – Farage Returns to Frontline to Fight Establishment’s Brexit ‘Sell-Out’. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  18. Multiple references:
  19. Multiple references: See also:
  20. Multiple references: See also:
  21. Crilly, Rob (July 26, 2019). Nigel Farage launches 'counterblast' to George Soros with US Brexit group. Washington Examiner. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  22. Multiple references: See also:
  23. Multiple references: See also
  24. Multiple references:
  25. Brexit’s Nigel Farage Wins News Presenter of the Year, Trolls Media Elites: ‘You Should Be Frightened!’
  26. Nigel Farage says he may have to leave UK after bank closes his accounts

External links