Speculation that Nigel Farage is about to make a dramatic return to frontline politics has hit fever pitch as his Reform UK party –formerly the Brexit Party – made an important anouncement.
Richard Tice, Reform UK’s leader, who took over when Mr Farage stepped back from politics in 2020, has revealed the date for a major announcement in what will be election year.
Journalists have been invited to join Mr Tice and “guests” at a central London five-star hotel to hear about plans going into what will be general election year for Britain.
Asked if there will be an announcement about Mr Farage, Mr Tice teasingly replied: “Patience is a virtue.”
Instead, he has asked journalists to join him and friends at the event on January 3 – a date some now think could go down in history as the moment Mr Farage stepped back into the fray.
Speculation was already mounting about a political comeback after Mr Farage’s successful spell in the Australian jungle with I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!
The former UKIP and Brexit Party leader turned GB News star presenter came third and found millions of new supporters who do not normally engage in politics after survivIng an attempt by ITV to stitch him up.
While he admitted that the £1.5 million pay cheque for doing the show was very attractive, he also said he wanted to reach out to a new audience and “show them I am a normal person” – and, crucially, he has said he is considering a comeback.
He told fellow GB News presenter Camilla Tominey: “I have to decide, could I make a positive difference?”
But he noted that he has “more options after doing the jungle”.
He said it was a choice between “an easy life or going back into the helter skelter world of politics”.
Tory MPs have already confided to Express.co.uk that they believe a Farage comeback is imminent.
With Reform UK already hitting 10 percent or more in the polls, there is a danger that Mr Farage could take the party up to mid teens at the expense of the Conservatives.
One Conservative MP said: “If Farage comes back in any form we really are screwed, but we deserve it I’m afraid.”
Reform is set to announce its candidate for the Wellingborough by-election, a seat where UKIP came second in the 2015 general election.
Some Conservative MPs have speculated that Mr Farage could be handed a “perfect opportunity” in a strong Brexit seat, where Leave supporter Peter Bone has just been forced out with a recall petition.
Mr Tice’s calling notice tantalisingly was left with an unfinished sentence.
It said: “2024 will be the year of the general election. Over the past 12 months Reform have doubled their poll rating, with some polling organisations putting us on 10 percent.
“Most independent observers see the growth of Reform as the key wild card of the coming election.
“Richard Tice, the leader of Reform UK, will be announcing some key strategic lines and…”
