Nigel Farage will duck an eighth potential rejection by voters after confirming he will not try to become an MP at the next election.
Insiders at Reform UK - the publicity-hungry showman’s latest political vehicle - believed he could be tempted to throw his hat into the ring one last time and stand again for the party where he is Honorary President.
But the ex-UKIP leader today insisted his role will be “honorary and advisory”.
The Mirror exclusively revealed in December how Mr Farage would not stand again as a parliamentary candidate because he feared an eighth humiliating defeat - having failed in seven previous bids.
Speaking about Mr Farage’s decision, Reform UK’s leader Richard Tice said: “Coming back into politics full time is far from his Plan A, B or C.”
However he suggested the former UKIP leader will continue to have a prominent role in Reform UK.
“He wouldn't stand in the first-past-the-post [election], but he's as disappointed about Brexit and worried about the country as anybody, or more so, and he's not going to sit idly by,” he said.
Mr Tice was speaking at a press conference where he announced 11 former Brexit Party Members of the European Parliament, including Ann Widdecombe, have joined Reform UK.
He told the audience the party was “building towards the general election ”.
“We will be standing everywhere across the whole of England, Scotland and Wales - some 630 candidates.”
Mr Tice said they had seen around 10,000 members join the party in the last six months, with most either being an activist or coming from the Conservative party.
Stealing Tory voters could make a win for Labour even more likely.
Mr Farage’s last bid to become an MP for UKIP ended in failure in 2015 when he lost by 2,812 votes in South Thanet.
The Tories were later found to have broken spending rules as they pulled out all the stops to beat him.
After leaving UKIP, Mr Farage made a return to politics in 2019 as Theresa May struggled to pass her Brexit deal.
He led the Brexit Party to victory in the European elections when it got 29 MEPs elected, before it was later rebranded as Reform UK.
The 58-year-old has unsuccessfully stood for Parliament seven times over 21 years, starting with the Eastleigh by-election in 1994.
Mr Farage used the Reform UK press conference today to take aim at Rishi Sunak's new Brexit deal, the Windsor Framework.
The PM today faced mounting pressure over parts of his Windsor Framework, part of which MPs will vote on this Wednesday.
The DUP said it had unanimously agreed to vote against the first aspect of the framework to be considered by Parliament, the Stormont brake.
Mr Farage lashed out at the deal, fuming: “Brexit wasn't just about leaving the European Union, it was about a new different kind of politics in this country.
“Three-and-a-half years on, we find that Brexit has not been completed.”
He added: “Part of the United Kingdom has been hived off and is still being controlled by the European Commission, vast swathes of industry that were looking forward to benefits the fishing industry being one have seen virtually nothing in their favour.”
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