Nigel Farage: British Politician and Brexit Advocate

Overview

• Nigel Paul Farage is a British politician and broadcaster.
• He currently serves as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Clacton.
• Farage also leads the Reform UK party since 2024, a position he previously held from 2019 to 2021.
• Previously, he led the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2006 to 2009 and again from 2010 to 2016.
• He served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South East England from 1999 until the UK's exit from the EU in 2020.

Early Political Career

• Farage became a prominent Eurosceptic in the early 1990s.
• He was first elected as an MEP in 1999.
• In 2004, he became the president of Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy.
• Farage led UKIP to win the second-most votes in the UK at the 2009 European Parliament election.
• After an unsuccessful candidacy in Buckingham in the 2010 general election, he returned as UKIP's leader that same year.
• UKIP won the most seats in the UK at the 2014 European Parliament election under his leadership.
• This pressured David Cameron to call the 2016 EU membership referendum.
• Farage resigned as UKIP's leader after the referendum's success.

Brexit Party / Reform UK

• In 2018, Farage co-founded the Brexit Party, which was renamed Reform UK in 2021.
• The Brexit Party won the most votes at the 2019 European Parliament election, becoming the largest single party in the parliament.
• Theresa May resigned days later due to frustration over the delayed implementation of Brexit.
• Boris Johnson succeeded May and delivered Brexit in 2020.
• Farage has criticized the delivery of Brexit on multiple occasions.
• At the 2024 general election, Farage once again became Reform UK's leader and won in Clacton.

Recognition and Style

• Farage is known for his flamboyant personality, fashion, and social media presence.
• He is associated with British right-wing populism.
• In 2013, The Daily Telegraph ranked him second in its "Top 100 most influential right-wingers poll".
• The Times named him "Briton of the Year" in 2014.
• The New Statesman ranked him first on its Right Power List in 2023, describing him as "the most influential person on the British right".

Early Life and Education

• Nigel Paul Farage was born on April 3, 1964, in Farnborough, Kent, England.
• His parents were Barbara (née Stevens) and Guy Justus Oscar Farage; his father was a stockbroker.
• His father was described as an alcoholic who left the family when Nigel was five.
• Farage's grandfather fought and was wounded in the First World War.
• Distant ancestor was a Huguenot.
• Both parents of one of Farage's great-grandfathers were Germans who emigrated to London around 1861.
• He attended Greenhayes School for Boys, then Dulwich College from 1975 to 1982.
• He was active in the Conservative Party from his school days.
• There were concerns over alleged 'fascist' views during his time at Dulwich College, but the headmaster rejected them.

Early Career

• In 1982, Farage began working in the City of London, trading commodities at the London Metal Exchange.
• He worked for Drexel Burnham Lambert, Crédit Lyonnais Rouse, Refco, and Natixis Metals.
• Farage joined the Conservative Party in 1978 but left in 1992 due to the Maastricht Treaty.
• He voted for the Green Party in 1989 due to its Eurosceptic policies.
• In 1992, Farage joined the Anti-Federalist League, and in 1993, he was a founding member of UKIP.

European Parliament (1999-2020)

• Farage was elected to the European Parliament in 1999 and re-elected in 2004, 2009, and 2014.
• He led the 24-member UKIP contingent in the European Parliament.
• He was also the co-leader of the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group.
• Politico ranked Farage as the fifth-most influential MEP in 2016.
• He was often assigned office number 007 in the European Parliament.

Key Actions and Controversies in European Parliament

• In 2004, Farage announced that Jacques Barrot had been barred from elected office in France for embezzlement.
• In 2005, he requested the European Commission to disclose where individual Commissioners spent their holidays.
• He helped table a motion of no confidence in José Manuel Barroso, who appeared before Parliament to be questioned on the issue.
• In 2013, Farage criticized Barroso's former membership in the Maoist Portuguese Workers' Communist Party.
• In 2010, he described Herman Van Rompuy as having the "charisma of a damp rag".
• He was reprimanded and had his right to ten days’ allowance docked for his behavior toward Van Rompuy.
• In 2008, he remained seated during the standing ovation for Charles, Prince of Wales, after a speech to the European Parliament.
• In 2009, it was reported he received £2 million of taxpayers' money in expenses during his time as an MEP.
• In 2014, he correctly predicted that UKIP would win a Scottish seat in the European Parliament elections.
• He led UKIP to win the highest share of the vote in the 2014 European Parliament elections.
• In June 2014, Farage declared £205,603 for gifts over ten years but was fined £200 by the Electoral Commission for not declaring them in the UK within 30 days of receipt.
• In November 2014, he was a main driver behind a censure motion against Jean-Claude Juncker regarding tax avoidance schemes.

UKIP Leadership (1993-2010)

• Farage became a founder member of UKIP in 1993.
• He was elected leader of UKIP in 2006 with 45 percent of the vote.
• His goals were to bring discipline to the party and maximize its representation in elections.
• In his maiden speech, he said that the party was "at the centre-ground of British public opinion".
• In 2006, James Whale announced his intention to stand as UKIP's candidate in the 2008 London Mayoral Election but later decided not to.

2010 General Election

• Farage resigned as UKIP's leader in 2009 to focus on his campaign to become MP for Buckingham.
• He stood against John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, and came third with 8,401 votes.

Aircraft Accident

• On May 6, 2010, Farage was injured when the plane he was traveling in crashed due to a banner becoming caught in the tailplane.
• The pilot of the aircraft was later charged with threatening to kill Farage in a separate incident and was given a two-year supervised community order.

UKIP Leadership (2010-2015)

• Farage stood again for the UKIP leadership in 2010 and won.
• UKIP forgot to put its party name on its candidate's ballot paper for the 2012 London mayoral election.
• In May 2013, Farage led UKIP to its best performance in a UK election, receiving 23 percent of the vote in the local elections.
• In May 2013, Farage was interrupted by protesters during a press conference in Edinburgh.
• In 2013, Farage said he had hired a tax advisor to set up a trust on the Isle of Man for inheritance purposes.
• In October 2014, Farage said that people with HIV and tuberculosis shouldn't be let into the UK.
• In 2014, he said that "most legal forms of tax avoidance are ok, but clearly some are not," after being questioned on payments to his private company.
• As of 2019, Farage continued to have fees paid to him via a limited company, Thorn in the Side Ltd.
• In September 2014, he appeared at a pro-union rally with Scottish UKIP MEP David Coburn ahead of Scotland's independence referendum.

2015 General Election

• In October 2013, Farage announced that he would stand for election as an MP at the 2015 general election.
• In August 2014, Farage was selected as the UKIP candidate for South Thanet.
• In October 2014, Farage was invited to take part in prospective Leaders' debates on television ahead of the 2015 general election.
• In March 2015, Farage declared that he would step down as UKIP leader should he not be elected as an MP.
• On March 22, 2015, Farage was targeted by anti-UKIP activists at a pub.
• Farage came second in South Thanet and announced his resignation as the leader of UKIP.
• Farage continued to serve as the party's leader after his resignation was rejected.
• Following the election, a UKIP spokesman acknowledged that it had sent an informant into a protest organization.

Brexit

• He served as a key figurehead in the 2016 Brexit campaign, which resulted in a 52% vote to leave the EU.
• Farage initially supported both Vote Leave and Leave.EU in their campaigns to leave the EU.

2016-2019

• Farage has argued strongly in favor of a British Independence Day, observed on June 23 each year.
• On June 28, 2016, Farage made a speech in the European Parliament, stating that a hypothetical failure for the EU to forge a trade deal with an exiting UK would "be far worse" for them.
• He resigned as leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party on July 4, 2016.
• From July 18 to 21, 2016, Farage attended the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
• He appeared on The Andrew Marr Show with Gina Miller following a legal challenge to the use of the Royal Prerogative to invoke article 50.
• On November 7, 2016, Farage announced he would lead a 100,000-strong march to the Supreme Court.
• In 2017, Farage called for the departure of UKIP's only MP, Douglas Carswell.
• On April 20, 2017, Farage announced that he would not contest the 2017 general election.
• In May 2018, Farage addressed a fundraising event for the Democratic Unionist Party.
• In 2018, he joined Leave Means Leave as vice-chairman.

Brexit Party

• On December 4, 2018, Farage resigned his membership of UKIP, after 25 years.
• On February 8, 2019, Reuters noted that the Brexit Party had been approved by the Electoral Commission.
• On February 13, Farage confirmed he would sit in the European Parliament as a member of the Brexit Party.
• On March 22, he was announced as the new leader of the party.
• In May 2019, he said "We're running a company, not a political party".
• On May 14, Crispin Blunt called for the government to go into an "electoral arrangement" with the Brexit Party.
• In May 2019, Channel 4 News reported it had seen invoices for travel and accommodation expenses between summer 2016 and summer 2017 funded by Arron Banks, and were not declared on Farage's register of interests.
• On May 20, 2019, a Brexit opponent threw a milkshake at Farage in Newcastle upon Tyne.
• In June 2019, Trump suggested that Farage should be involved in the UK government's Brexit negotiations.
• In the 2019 European Parliament election, Farage led the Brexit Party to win 29 seats and the highest share of the vote.
• He unveiled the names of 635 general election candidates for the Brexit Party.
• On September 8, 2019, Farage said that the Brexit Party should be given "a free run" at targeting traditional Labour voters by the Conservative Party.
• The government confirmed that Boris Johnson would not form an electoral pact with Farage.
• Standing 275 candidates, the Brexit Party gained 644,257 votes in the election, but no seats.
• In January 2020, Farage told the crowd celebrating on 31 January that "what happens now marks the point of no return. We are never going back".
• In December 2020, Farage celebrated the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Farage wrote "protecting us all from an epidemic should be prioritised over the economy".
• In November 2020, Farage endorsed the Great Barrington Declaration, which advocates focused protection of those most vulnerable to COVID-19.
• In 2020, Farage established a financial newsletter, Fortune and Freedom.
• In July 2021, Farage criticized the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, accusing them of being a "taxi service" for illegal immigrants.
• In November 2021, Farage published an op-ed in The Daily Telegraph contemplating a return to frontline politics.

Other Activities

• In 2021, Farage made videos on the Cameo platform and fell victim to several pranks.
• Farage launched the Vote Power Not Poverty campaign to secure a referendum on the government's net zero carbon emissions pledge.
• In September 2022, Farage introduced a range of three gins made in Cornwall.
• In May 2023, Farage told BBC Newsnight that Brexit had failed due to the policies of successive Conservative governments.
• In September 2023, Farage was ranked first on the New Statesman's Right Power List
• In February 2024, Farage revealed that he was "open-minded" about joining the Conservative Party.
• In November 2024, Farage was not invited to speak at a farmers' protest outside Downing Street.

Reform UK

• The Reform UK party is a limited company with fifteen shares.
• Farage owned 53% of the shares in the company, giving him a controlling majority
• On March 6, 2021, Farage announced he was retiring from politics and resigning as leader of Reform UK, becoming the party's honorary president.

2024 General Election

• On June 3, 2024, Farage announced his return as leader of Reform UK and his candidacy for the party in the Clacton constituency.
• He had a banana milkshake thrown over him on his first day of campaigning.
• On June 12, Farage had a paper cup and an unidentified object thrown at him whilst campaigning on an open-top bus.
• On June 17, Farage and Tice launched the Reform UK manifesto, which they called a "contract" (Our Contract with You).
• It pledged to lower taxes, lower immigration, increase funding for public services, reform the NHS, and replace the House of Lords.
• In a BBC Panorama interview, Farage stated that reform UK would lower the tax burden to encourage people into work.
• On June 27, an undercover Channel 4 journalist secretly recorded members of Farage's campaign team using offensive language.
• On July 4, Farage won the Clacton seat, becoming an MP for the first time.

Member of Parliament

• Following a mass stabbing in Southport, Farage condemned the disorder and called for Parliament to be recalled.
• Farage was criticised by the former head of UK counter-terrorism for questioning whether the truth was being withheld from the public.

Support for Donald Trump

• Farage is a supporter of Donald Trump.
• On October 28, 2020, Farage spoke at a Trump rally in Arizona.
• after Trump was unanimously found guilty by a jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records to commit election fraud, Farage said in an interview with Sky News that he supports Trump "more than ever".

Broadcasting Career

• On January 20, 2017, Fox News announced it had hired Farage as a commentator.
• From January 2017 to June 2020, Farage hosted The Nigel Farage Show on LBC.
• On October 31, 2019, Farage interviewed Donald Trump on his LBC show.
• On June 11, 2020, LBC announced that Farage would be leaving the station.
• On June 20, 2021, Farage joined GB News to host The Political Correction.

I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

• In November 2023, it was announced that Farage would appear on the twenty-third series of the UK reality TV program I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.
• Farage finished in third place

Personal Life

• Farage resides in Single Street, in the London Borough of Bromley, near his mother's home.
• He has been married twice and has four children.
• In February 2017, his wife told the Press Association that they were living "separate lives."
• He described himself as "53, separated, skint" in May 2017.
• In 2023, it was revealed that Farage had been in a relationship with the French politician Laure Ferrari for several years.
• On November 25, 1985, Farage was hit by a car and suffered injuries.
• On December 26, 1986, Farage first felt symptoms of what was later discovered to be testicular cancer.
• Farage's memoir Fighting Bull was published in 2010, and The Purple Revolution was released in 2015.
• He is a cricket and association football fan, supporting Crystal Palace FC.
• Farage is a smoker and also fond of beer, this forming part of his public image.
• Farage is a member of the East India Club.
• Farage is a Christian, describing himself as a "somewhat lapsed" member of the Church of England.
• In January 2016, Farage told The Mail on Sunday that he believed his car had been tampered with in October 2015.

Coutts Account Controversy

• In June 2023, Farage said that his account with the private bank Coutts was to be closed.
• It was later revealed that the account was closed because Coutts felt that his beliefs and values did not align with theirs.
• Alison Rose, the Coutts CEO, resigned as CEO of NatWest Group with immediate effect.
• Peter Flavel, the Coutts chief executive, stepped down with immediate effect.
• In October 2023, the ICO ruled that Rose twice violated the law but later withdrew the comment about Rose.

Awards and Honors

• Lifetime Achievement Award at the 33rd Parliamentarian of the Year awards in 2016.
• Shortlisted for Time magazine's Person of the Year award in 2016.
• Honorary doctorate of laws degree from Liberty University in 2020.
• Award for Best Presenter at the annual TRIC Awards in June 2023.