POLL OF THE DAY: Was Farage right not to stand for Reform in the General Election? YOUR VERDICT
POLL: Was Farage right not to stand for Reform in the General Election?
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Nigel Farage’s intentions to run as an MP came as a surprise to Reform UK with the party’s Deputy leader Ben Habib saying he was “entirely unaware” of the honorary president’s plans.
Ahead of Reform UK’s election launch press conference on Thursday, Farage made the announcement that he would not be standing at the upcoming General Election.
Farage said: “I have thought long and hard as to whether I should stand as a candidate in the upcoming general election.
“As honorary president of Reform UK, I am fully supportive of Richard Tice's leadership and urge voters to put their trust in him and Lee Anderson.
“I will do my bit to help in the campaign, but it is not the right time to go any further than that.”
POLL OF THE DAY: Was Farage right not to stand for Reform in the General Election? YOUR VERDICT
GB News
He added: “Important though the General Election is, the contest in the United States of America on November 5 has huge global significance.
“A strong America as a close ally is vital for peace and security. I intend to help with the grassroots campaign in the USA in any way that I can.
“The choice between Labour and the Conservatives is uninspiring, and only Reform have the radical agenda that is needed to end decline in this country.”
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Ben Habib was 'unaware' of Nigel Farage's election plans GB NEWSSpeaking on GB News on Friday morning, Habib, spoke openly about what Sunak’s snap election means for his party and Farage’s announcement.
“The reality is, Rishi Sunak realised this was probably a high point for him, even though this looks like a low point from most people’s normal standpoint,” Habib said.
“Inflation had come down, the economy wasn’t shrinking, he can duck the questions about whether flights for Rwanda are going to take off or not.
“The election is coming before this own self-imposed 10 to 12-week time frame expires.
“Reform UK was getting stronger every single day that he delayed the election, so I’m not sure how much Nigel Farage played into the Prime Minister’s mind.
“I think there are a whole host of other reasons which moved him to call an election now and I think from Rishi’s perspective, it was probably a good move.”
GB News members were split completely down the middle when they voted in the poll.
47 per cent believe that Farage was right not to stand for Reform, while 47 per cent disagree and believe he was wrong, with six per cent being unsure.