Recent opinion polls paint a dire picture of Rishi Sunak’s future as leader of the Conservative Party – and there’s one man in particular who seems like he may be gearing up to try and take his place.
Nigel Farage has refused to rule out a goal of running for prime minister multiple times – most recently on I’m a Celebrity, where many believe he is aiming to reach a wider audience and boost his public image.
The former UKIP and Brexit Party leader told fellow contestants when asked about the job: “I don’t know. We’ll see. Depends how much of a mess the country gets in.
“I honestly don’t know. I mean it’s not an easy job.”
Speaking in the Bush Telegraph on the long-running ITV show, Mr Farage later said: “As for little me, there is a lot of speculation after they lose the next election, maybe Nigel becomes leader of the Tory party one day so there’s a lot of chatter about whether it is going to happen, I have no idea.
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“The important thing is to say this, never say never.”
However, he would have several hurdles to overcome first if it were to happen.
He would first need to be accepted into the party, which the more moderates of the Tory party are opposed to.
Farage would then need to be chosen to stand as an MP and be elected, which is something he has failed to do several times previously.
And then even after that, he would then need to run for the leadership and be elected by party members.
However, Farage might have some support waiting for him already, with former Cabinet minister Simon Clarke back him earlier this week to rejoin the Tory Party.
He told ITV’s Peston: “I would absolutely like to see Nigel Farage welcomed to the Conservative Party. I’d like to see hundreds of thousands of people join the party because ultimately we win as a mass movement and we win as a broad coalition of the centre-right in British politics.
“And we were talking a moment ago about the impact of Reform or the potential impact of Reform. It will be, let’s be clear, unless we’re very careful, to enable a Labour government which would be a disaster for this country.
“And that is why those of us who do believe that the kind of things that Nigel has campaigned on all his life – limited immigration, domestic control and sovereignty of our affairs, that we are actually fighting as one force come next year.”
So what do you think? Would you like to see Nigel Farage take over from Rishi Sunak as Tory party leader? Vote in our poll and leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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