Nigel Farage to run as Reform UK candidate in Clacton – BBC News

Mr Farage has made clear his intention to put immigration at the heart of his campaign.

“We simply as a country cannot go on with an exploding population in the way that it is,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

He said that the UK should admit far fewer unskilled immigrants, saying: “We don’t need any – we literally don’t need any.”

He also appeared to ditch Reform’s policy to move asylum seekers to British overseas territories. He said the idea was not “terribly practical,” adding: “I took over yesterday, give me more than 12 hours and I’ll sort a few things out.”

Mr Farage has stood to be an MP unsuccessfully seven times, most recently in South Thanet, Kent, in the 2015 general election, when he finished second behind the Tory candidate.

Reform UK had already selected a candidate for Clacton, but Mr Farage said he had known for “many months” that it was a “possibility” he could be replaced.

The constituency was previously held by UKIP after former Tory MP Douglas Carswell defected to the party and triggered a by-election, which he won.

More than 70% of voters in the constituency backed Brexit in the 2016 referendum – the fifth highest figure in the UK.

In 2017 Conservative Giles Watling unseated UKIP, gaining the seat with a majority of more than 15,000.

By 2019, with no UKIP or Brexit Party candidate standing, Mr Watling’s majority grew to 24,702. He is defending the seat again in July for the Tories.

Mr Watling told the BBC: “I will be pleased to show Nigel around Clacton so he can see what it is really like, but I am not prepared to see the constituency of Clacton sacrificed on the altar of his vanity.”

Many Conservatives fear a prominent role for Mr Farage in the campaign could be damaging for the Tories.

In 2019 Reform’s previous incarnation, the Brexit Party, stood aside in more than 300 seats previously won by the Tories, amid concerns it could split the pro-Brexit vote.

However, Mr Farage has said there will be no deals with the Tory Party for the upcoming general election and the party is contesting 630 seats across England, Scotland and Wales.

Reform had one MP in the last Parliament, Lee Anderson – who defected from the Tories in March. The party’s leader Richard Tice stood aside for Mr Farage on Monday.

A Conservative Party spokesman said Mr Farage “risks handing Keir Starmer a blank cheque”.

“Farage knows that Reform won’t win any seats, but he doesn’t seem to care that a vote for Reform only helps Labour,” he said.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper: “Rishi Sunak’s constant pandering to Reform has horrified former lifelong Conservative voters in the centre ground.

“Sunak must show some backbone and rule out Farage ever joining the Conservative Party in future, including if he gets elected to be an MP.”

The other candidates announced as standing in Clacton so far are:

Giles Watling, Conservative Party

Jovan Owusu-Nepaul, Labour Party

Matthew Bensilum, Liberal Democrats

Natasha Osben, Green Party

A full list will be published on the BBC News website after nominations close on Friday