Brexit has failed, Nigel Farage has sensationally admitted as he hinted at a political comeback.
The former UKIP leader, widely seen as the architect of Britain quitting the EU, said that leaving the bloc had “failed” as he blasted the Tories’ handling of withdrawal.
He told BBC2’s Newsnight: “What I do think is that we haven’t actually benefited from Brexit, economically, what we could have done.
“What Brexit has proved, I’m afraid, is that our politicians are about as useless as the commissioners in Brussels were.
“We have mismanaged this totally and if you look at simple things such as takeovers, such as corporation tax, we are driving business away from our country.
“Arguably, now we’re back in control we are regulating our own businesses even more than they were as EU members.
“Brexit has failed.”
But, challenged by TV host Victoria Derbyshire that “economically, the UK would have been better off staying in (the EU)”, the former MEP insisted: “I don’t think that for a moment.”
Mr Farage, 59, who presents a nightly show on GB News, also paved the way for a return to frontline politics.
The Mirror revealed in February how insiders at his latest political vehicle, Reform UK, believe the publicity-hungry showman could be tempted to throw his hat into the ring if he believed he could win.
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In December, we told how he will not stand for Parliament for an eighth time having failed on seven previous occasions to win a Commons seat.
Quizzed on Monday night that his assessment of Brexit could mean “a comeback for you then”, he said: “I wouldn’t rule it out.”
He added: “It’s not top of my bucket list but frankly we’ve not delivered on borders, we’ve not delivered on Brexit.
“The Tories have let us down very, very badly.”
Lib Dem foreign affairs spokeswoman Layla Moran fumed: "Farage’s hypocrisy is astounding.
“The number one cheerleader for wrecking our relationship with Europe now seems to have finally realised the disastrous impact it’s had on our economy and on families up and down the country."
The UK voted by 52% to 48% to leave the EU in a crunch referendum on June 23, 2016.
The decision triggered David Cameron’s resignation as Prime Minister, ushered in Theresa May’s premiership - which ended with her unable to drive her withdrawal deal through a deadlocked Parliament - and led to Boris Johnson entering No10.
He won an 80-seat Commons majority with his 2019 election campaign slogan “Get Brexit Done”.
The UK formally left the EU on January 31, 2020.
Naomi Smith, chief executive of the Best for Britain internationalist campaign group, told the Mirror: “Brexit has been a stain on our global standing, a drag on our economic growth, and a disaster for millions of EU citizens here and Brits in Europe.
"Finally, its main cheerleader admits the project has failed so it’s high time that both Government and opposition commit to repairing the damage, and fast.”
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