BREXIT PARTY LEADER Nigel Farage has confirmed he will not stand as an MP in the upcoming UK general election.
Farage is heading up his new Brexit Party into its first general election, having won 35% of votes in the European election.
Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme, Farage said he believes he will serve his cause better by travelling around the country supporting his Brexit Party candidates.
“I’ve thought very hard about this. I thought ‘How do I serve the cause of Brexit best? Because that is what I am doing this for – not for a career, I don’t want to be in politics for the rest of my life,” Farage said.
“Do I find a seat? Try to get myself into parliament? Do I serve the cause better traversing the length and breadth of the United Kingdom supporting the 600 candidates?
“And I’ve decided the latter is the right one.”
Farage said it would be very difficult being in his constituency every day and being across the UK during the campaign.
The British public will go the polls on Thursday 12 December.
Rejected pact
Yesterday, Farage’s threat to scupper Boris Johnson’s election chances unless the Prime Minister forms a Brexit alliance was roundly rejected by the Conservatives.
Farage launched his party’s campaign with a call on Johnson to ditch his deal and form a “Leave alliance” to deliver a “stonking majority”.
If Johnson does not agree, then the Brexit Party leader threatened to field candidates in every seat in England, Scotland and Wales in a move Tories fear could damage their chances of electoral success by splitting the Leave vote.
However, warning a vote for another party increased the likelihood of a Labour government, Johnson told Sky News: “I’ve ruled out a pact with everybody because I don’t think it’s sensible to do that.”
With reporting by Press Association
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