Nigel Farage could soon stage a return to frontline politics by playing a leading role for the Conservatives’ right-wing rivals Reform UK, the party’s leader has said.
Richard Tice said the star of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! would find it “very hard to resist” a big comeback ahead of the next year’s general election.
Some senior Tories have suggested they would like to see Mr Farage join the Tories – with one MP suggesting he could be given a peerage and made home secretary.
However, Mr Tice suggested Mr Farage was keen to take up a prominent role for Reform UK once again, the party he co-founded from the ashes of the Brexit Party.
“He needs to make the judgment – does he want to come back full time into politics?” the Reform leader told The Telegraph.
“The more help, as far as I’m concerned, the better. I think he will find it very hard to resist. The opportunity once and for all to punish the Tories will be unbelievably tempting to him.”
With Rishi Sunak floundering over his thwarted Rwanda plan, Mr Tice added: “This will be an immigration election, whether the main parties like it or not. It is a great opportunity for Reform.”
Nigel Farage has clashed with fellow contestants on I’m a Celeb— (ITV/Shutterstock)
Mr Farage is set to fly back to Britain next week after appearing on I’m a Celeb in the Australian jungle, where he has clashed repeatedly with fellow contestants on Brexit, immigration and culture war issues.
Tory MP Jonathan Gullis says he would “love” to see Mr Farage as Conservative home secretary, saying the hard-right politician would “take no prisoners”.
Mr Farage has also flirted with the idea of joining the Conservatives in recent weeks as he seeks to raise his profile again – saying “never say never” after being courted by Tory activists at the recent party conference.
Ex-Tory chancellor George Osborne has even suggested that is “not inconceivable” the former Ukip boss could be a future Tory leader. Stanley Johnson has called for the Tories to recruit him now to “transform” its flagging fortunes.
The latest BMG Research survey shows that Reform UK is now ahead of the Liberal Democrats in third on 11 per cent – its best performance in any poll by the firm.
And new More in Common analysis shows that, based on voting intention polling, the Conservatives are set to secure 35 fewer seats than if Reform UK did not compete at the general election.
A Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey found that more people who voted for the Tories in 2019 plan to support Reform UK than Labour.
Some 15 per cent plan to ditch the Conservatives for the hard right party, while only 13 per cent will go to Labour, the survey found.
