Nigel Farage has announced he will run as Reform UK’s candidate in Clacton, after previously saying he would not stand in July’s general election.
The former UKIP and Brexit Party leader said he had changed his mind after spending time on the campaign trail, adding he did not want to let his supporters down.
The Essex seat, which was the first to elect a UKIP MP in 2014, has a Conservative majority of 25,702.
Mr Farage also revealed he was taking over from Richard Tice as Reform’s leader for the next five years.
Yes, the Tories point at the large percentage of undecided voters who are former Tory voters and say they’ll get behind them as election day looms. However, it feels like a lot might be leaving it late to see how Reform shapes up. Now with Farage in charge (a sitcom about a lovable politician who just loves a pint or two), I could see that chunk of voters making their minds up and I reckon it’s bad news for the Tories.
I suspect at this point that many of the undecideds aren’t going back to the Tories no matter what. They’re just undecided about whether to vote Labour, vote Reform, or stay at home.