Love him or loathe him, Nigel Farage has been one of the most influential politicians in Britain since the Thatcher era. From his origins as a Conservative member and trader on the London Metal Exchange, his reinventions have seen him serve as the leader of multiple incarnations of rightwing, Eurosceptic parties. Most recently, he has emerged as a GB News presenter who has appeared to flirt with the Conservative party while maintaining a role as the honorary president of Reform UK before taking over from Richard Tice as leader on Monday. Here are some of the moments in his political career path: First election to the European parliament A founder member of the UK Independence party (Ukip), Farage became an MEP for South-East England in 1999 during a breakthrough following the introduction of proportional representation for elections to the European parliament.
Becomes Ukip leader Farage became the leader of Ukip in September 2006, in the first of what would be two stints at the head of a party that would become synonymous with its own splits and feuds, as well as the threat it would soon present to the Conservative party. Attack on the president of the European Council Farage earned notoriety – and began to carve out a niche as the showman leader of a new wave of European populists – when in 2010 he launched a viral attack on Herman Van Rompuy. He accused the senior EU leader of having “the charisma of a damp rag” and “the appearance of a low-grade bank clerk” during an appearance in the European parliament two months before the 2010 general election.
Near-death plane crash Farage was dragged from the wreckage of a plane with serious injuries on the day of the 2010 general election when it crashed after its Ukip-promoting banner became entangled in the tail fin. The event was one of a number of near-death experiences in Farage’s life, along with being hit by a car in 1985 and then being diagnosed with cancer. Return as Ukip leader After failing to unseat John Bercow, the then speaker of the House of Commons in 2010, his second period as leader lasted until 2016, a period in which the party would focus on forging greater grassroots support for a political insurgency that would lay the ground for Brexit. The party would register its best performance in the 2014 European Elections in the UK, with more than 26% of the vote. The period also covered Farage’s failure to become the MP for South Thanet in the 2015 general election. Despite resigning as leader, his resignation was rejected shortly afterwards by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
Referendum on UK’s EU membership Farage was at the forefront of rallying the pro-Brexit vote during the 2016 EU membership referendum called by the then prime minister, David Cameron, in a bid to see off, once and for all, the threat to the Tories from Ukip and quell rebellion in his own party. Farage’s involvement included the unveiling of an anti-migrant poster that attracted accusations of inciting hatred. He subsequently told the Yorkshire Post: “In some ways, it won us the referendum because it kept us focused on the danger of open borders.” Launches Brexit party Seeking to piggyback on the Leave vote, Farage launched his new Brexit party in April 2019, pledging there would be “no more Mr Nice Guy”. He hit out at the Conservative and Labour parties and said the two-party system was “unfit for purpose”. The party would play a key role in the general election of that year when Farage announced it would not field any candidates against the Conservatives in the 317 seats they won at the previous general election, after Boris Johnson committed to leaving the EU by 2020 and pursuing a Canada-style trade deal. The Brexit party would later change its name to Reform UK.
Media career After developing a taste for broadcasting as the host of The Nigel Farage Show, a radio phone-in on talk radio station LBC, Farage resigned as leader of Reform and embarked on a television career as a presenter on GB News. He sought to reach a new audience in 2023 when he competed in the 23rd series of the reality TV series I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, finishing in third place.