Nigel Farage is a name that many will likely be aware of in the world of UK politics, and he has made a surprise announcement that he will be standing in the 2024 General Election.

The 60-year-old has been revealed as the new leader of Reform UK and he will stand as a candidate in the seat of Clacton in Essex.

On May 23, Farage said he would focus on getting Donald Trump re-elected as US president rather than stand as a Reform UK candidate in the July 4 contest.

However, he has now changed his mind and said he would be “back for the next five years” as he sought to put pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

All to know on Nigel Farage's political career

Who is Nigel Farage?

Nigel Farage is a politician who first joined the Conservative Party back in 1978, but left in 1992 due to John Major (the Prime Minister at the time) singing the Maastricht Treaty.

This was the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU) which was against Farage's views as a prominent Eurosceptic.

He helped to found UKIP (UK Independence Party) and consistently campaigned for the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

In 2006, he became the leader of UKIP before stepping down in 2009 and then coming back to the position in 2010.

He was a key figure in the 2016 EU membership referendum and stepped down as leader of UKIP once the UK voted to leave.

Farage remained with the party until 2018 before returning to frontline politics with the launch of the Brexit Party in 2019 which drew support from those frustrated with the delayed implementation of Brexit.

In 2021, Farage stepped down as leader of the Brexit Party, which changed its name to Reform UK.

Has Nigel Farage ever been an MP?

Despite having been a prominent voice in the pro-Brexit movement and the leader of UKIP, Farage has never actually been an MP.

However, he has been an MEP (Member of European Parliament) in European Parliament national elections as the leader of UKIP and the Brexit Party (now Reform UK).

How many times has Nigel Farage stood for Parliament?

Farage has stood for Parliament on seven occasions but has yet to be successful in becoming an MP.

Can Nigel Farage be Prime Minister?

In theory, Farage could become Prime Minister although this is an unlikely prospect.

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Reform UK is contesting 630 seats (or constituencies) across England, Scotland and Wales so it is possible for them to win enough to gain a majority in Parliament.

A party needs to win 326 seats to gain a majority so Farage would become Prime Minister if Reform UK won that many.

However, it is not expected that Reform UK will win nearly as many as that, so it is very unlikely Farage will get into 10 Downing Street.