NIGEL Farage has threatened the Tories with a shock return to frontline politics if the party fails to improve living standards and end the cost of living crisis.
Speaking to ITV, the former leader who led the Brexit Party to an overwhelming victory in European Parliament elections was asked whether Sunak’s Government’s performance in office could tempt him into making yet another return into politics.
“It may, it may,” he replied. “I think declining living standards, allied to a cost of living standards, is a very real thing”.
Farage added that he had spent 21 years in politics as an MEP, as well as leading efforts in the Brexit referendum and the 2015 General Election as UKIP leader, and therefore isn’t keen on the “extraordinary level of abuse” received in politics – but warned that he was preparing to consider it.
.@Nigel_Farage says he 'may' be forced back into politics if living standards and the cost of living do not improve pic.twitter.com/vr4qGwQodu
— ITV News Politics (@ITVNewsPolitics) May 16, 2023
“I’m going to have to have a long hard think; I don’t rule it out, it’s not top of my bucket list.
“But if we go on failing people, disappointing people in the way that we are, well I’ll have to give it some serious thought.”
Farage accepted that attempting to win a seat in the Commons, unlike the EU Parliament, would be much more difficult because of the UK First Past the Post voting system and party spending rules, which favour larger parties.
“The only difficulty for me with this is I was able in 2014 and 2019 to lead parties that came first in the European elections under proportional representation.
“To break through under First Past the Post, and particularly with the funding rules that apply to challenger parties compared to the establishment, I’m going to have to have a long hard think,” he added.
