Nigel Farage has signalled he wants to stay in frontline politics into his 70s, as he disclosed Donald Trump wanted him to be British ambassador to Washington nearly a decade ago.
The leader of Reform UK also spoke publicly for the first time about his decision to accept a £5million pre-election donation from businessman Christopher Harborne, insisting it was "a personal gift" to keep me safe "for the rest of my life".
Mr Farage, 62, will be 65 if he leads his party into the next general election if it is called by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in 2029.
It has been widely expected Mr Farage will bow out of frontline politics if he does not win the election.
Reform has led in the polls for over a year. However, in an interview with GB News' Chopper's Political Podcast, Mr Farage signalled for the first time that he wanted to keep going in frontline politics.
Asked if the general election would be Mr Farage's "last hurrah", he said: "I've been told that for years. There's no denying that the years are going by. But then, if I was a French or American politician – (Donald) Trump and (Joe) Biden, and (Jacques) Chirac and many others."
Mr Chirac was 62 years old when he first became French president in 1995 and was 74 when he completed his second term in 2007. Mr Biden was 82 years old when he stood down as president in late 2024. Mr Trump is presently 79 years old.
However, Mr Farage added: "All I'm thinking about after eight weeks on the road... I'm thinking about Thursday, May 7. What happens in these elections? And next Thursday for us is like Becher's Brook. If we clear Becher's Brook and we land unharmed, we've got a very good path to the next election."
Nigel Farage will be 65 if he leads Reform UK into the next general election if it is called by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in 2029
|GB NEWS
Mr Farage also disclosed Mr Trump had asked for him to be British ambassador to Washington at the start of his first term in the White House in 2017.
Addressing the disparaging remarks about the special relationship by the current UK ambassador, Sir Christian Turner, he said: "There's only one man who should be ambassador; it is perfectly obvious. You would have had none of this nonsense.
"Trump actually asked for it in 2017; Trump actually said, "Make Nigel the ambassador, it would be great for relationships.' " And I could have walked into the Oval Office and spoke to him on even terms. He loves the UK. For him the King is brilliant."
Mr Farage also spoke about the £5million undeclared donation from Mr Harborne before he re-entered politics as Reform UK leader at the 2024 general election.
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Nigel Farage disclosed Donald Trump had asked for him to be British ambassador to Washington at the start of his first term
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That came on top of an estimated £12million donated to Reform UK by Mr Harborne over the past year. He said: "That (the £5million) was a personal gift. That's an entirely different thing you're in... It might just keep me alive. Do you know why? Why?
"Time and again over the years, I've asked the state for protection and been refused over and over and over. I'm going to need protection, sadly, for the rest of my life.
"And between 2021 and 2024 when I was out of active politics, I had to pay for my own drivers and my own security - huge amounts of money.
"I was given the money unconditionally as a gift, but I will use it to make sure that I and my family are safe, certainly for the rest of my life."
Listen to Chopper's Political Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and watch the show on GB News' YouTube channel.
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