Nigel Farage, the leader of Britain's right-wing Reform UK party, claimed that his party was performing better than anticipated after a challenging period, as he spoke to supporters at a rally just days before the country's vote on July 4.
Farage, one of the UK's most recognizable and polarizing politicians, has been a persistent irritant to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative party, as the growing popularity of Reform threatens to divide the right-of-center vote. A June 27 poll indicated the opposition Labour Party leading with 42%, followed by the Conservatives at 20% and Reform at 16%. Reform's support had declined from a peak of 19% in mid-June, after Farage's remarks suggesting that the West had incited Russian President Vladimir Putin's assault on Ukraine.
At the 'Rally for Reform' in Birmingham, Farage, 60, addressed an audience of over 4,500, stating that although the past few days were difficult, he remained optimistic. 'We're doing much better than anyone in the media or politics could imagine in their worst nightmares. We are doing well,' he reassured his supporters.
Recent challenges included Reform being embroiled in a racism controversy, with one of its supporters caught on tape making a racial slur about Sunak. Farage declared on Sky News: 'Anyone with a racist viewpoint, I don't want to know.'
A Reform candidate for a northern England constituency, Liam Booth-Isherwood, disavowed the party on Sunday, urging voters to support the Conservatives instead, citing widespread racism and sexism and the party leadership's failure to address these issues, according to a BBC statement. Reform's chairman, Richard Tice, dismissed the allegations as 'false' on X and questioned whether Booth-Isherwood had been offered something to switch sides.
Farage played a crucial role in Britain's 2016 EU referendum and later co-founded the party now known as Reform. Its campaign promises include controlling migration into Britain and reducing taxes for small businesses. Given the overlap with some Conservative policies, there has been speculation that Farage might collaborate with the party in the future. However, he dismissed this possibility on Sky News, stating, 'I want nothing to do with them. They're awful... they are ghastly.'
Despite his previous unsuccessful attempts, Farage is running for a British parliamentary seat for the eighth time. Due to Britain's first-past-the-post electoral system, even if Reform wins a significant portion of the vote, it is unlikely to secure more than a few seats.
