Who is Nigel Farage?
Nigel Farage was born in Kent in 1964 and worked as a commodities trader before entering politics. He was a founding member of the UK Independence Party, led it for most of the period from 2006 to 2016 and sat in the European Parliament from 1999 to 2020. He campaigned to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum and later led the Brexit Party, which became Reform UK. He returned as Reform leader in June 2024 and was elected MP for Clacton. Reform made large gains in the May 2025 and May 2026 local elections and led many national opinion polls in that period. In July 2026 he resigned his seat and won the resulting by-election on 13 August with 22,239 votes, about 63% of the total.
Previously: MP for Clacton (since 2024; resigned July 2026 and re-elected August 2026) · Leader of the Brexit Party (2019-2021) · Member of the European Parliament for South East England (1999-2020) · Leader of the UK Independence Party (2006-2009, 2010-2016)
Documented positions
- Proposes leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, repealing the Human Rights Act and passing a mass deportation bill for people who arrive illegally.Source: instituteforgovernment.org.uk
- Pledged in 2025 to scrap indefinite leave to remain, the main route to permanent settlement for migrants, and replace it with renewable work visas.Source: theweek.com
- Said in June 2026 that a Reform government would ban foreign nationals from social housing.Source: irishtimes.com
- Reform proposed in August 2026 a £50 billion cut to the welfare bill, including replacing personal independence payments for working-age adults.Source: itv.com
- Reform said in February 2026 it would restore the two-child benefit cap in full, reversing an earlier pledge to lift it.Source: lbc.co.uk
- Opposes the UK's net zero targets; Reform's manifesto pledged to scrap net zero and related subsidies.Source: pbctoday.co.uk
- Said in 2025 that same-sex marriage is a settled issue although he did not support its introduction.Source: thepinknews.com
Record
Farage's campaigning is widely credited, by supporters and opponents, with helping to bring about the 2016 Brexit referendum. In 2026 the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards opened an investigation into whether he should have registered a £5 million gift from donor Christopher Harborne received before he stood for Parliament; Farage says it was a personal gift and that no rules were broken. The probe was suspended when he resigned in July 2026 and resumed after the by-election; he was interviewed by the Commissioner in September and no finding had been published by late October.
Supporters cite his record on Brexit, immigration and Reform's growth. Critics question his finances, his policy reversals on welfare and the legal feasibility of his deportation plans.
