A vote for the Tories is a waste, says Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage has said voting for the Conservative Party is a “wasted vote” as he set out Reform UK’s election campaign agenda in Dover.
The Reform honorary president, who has declined to stand as an MP, launched the party’s campaign at a yacht club on the Kent seafront, which he described as the “frontline of the great national debate on immigration”.
Speaking to press and supporters, Mr Farage said the Tories have “wrecked it for themselves” and rejected the Conservative argument that a vote for Reform is a vote for Labour.
‘Foregone conclusion’
The former Ukip leader said: “This election is a foregone conclusion. Labour are going to win and they’re going to win quite big.
“And therefore you could argue, actually, that a vote for the Conservative Party is a wasted vote.
“And given that, you know, Labour are going to win, why not vote for something that you actually believe in?”
He said he changed the party’s name from Brexit to Reform because the party is not after a “quick hit” but seeking to “build a base” and “launch a serious assault” in the next election of 2028 or 2029.
Speaking to PA news agency he ruled out electoral pacts or coalition agreements, adding: “This is now a six year plan. This is our first big election. It’s the place to try to spearhead into Parliament. We’re building a campaign for the 2029 general election.
“We are here to be the voice of opposition.”
National security
Mr Farage, who has unsuccessfully stood as a Ukip candidate at five general elections and two by-elections, described illegal immigration to the UK as a “national security emergency”.
He said: “I think what we ought to be doing with this situation here is declaring a national security emergency and this is an emergency.
“I talked over the course of the weekend to Trevor Phillips about the small but worryingly growing number of young men, predominantly young men in this country, adopting radical views, views that aren’t just un-British, but views that frankly are extremely anti-British.”
After his interview on Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Farage was accused of “incendiary rhetoric”.
Asked about his comments in Dover, he said: “I’ve always been prepared to put my head up and talk about things that other people would rather brushed under the carpet.”
Integration
On integration he said he was proud of the UK having the “best levels” of integration in Europe in the post-war period, but added about net migration: “The thing is out of control.”
Mr Farage took pictures with supporters with a pint of beer in hand following the campaign speech.
The launch, also announcing Howard Cox as Reform’s Dover candidate, comes as Dover MP Natalie Elphicke defected from the Conservatives to Labour and will not be standing at the next election.
Dover and Deal Conservative Association chairman Keith Single has said “don’t write us off” as the process of selecting a new Tory candidate takes place.
Labour has said its existing candidate, Mike Tapp, will stand in Dover.
Ms Elphicke increased the Conservatives’ majority to 12,278 in the 2019 election.
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Oh the irony! Nigel Farage says a vote for Tories is a wasted vote. Every vote ever cast for Nigel has been wasted…. and what’s more, every vote cast for Reform WILL be wasted
This man is the biggest waste of a vote. Moaned about fishing, didn’t turn up when on the EU fisheroes Commitee. Moaned about the EU and career politicians,but was one hi.self, who didn’t turn up. The less we hear from E glish fascists, the better in Cymru. Surely he is in the US now, helping Trump, following the cash.
The bloke is not standing yet the press are all over him. There soulld be tumble weed at his pressers. He is busy supporting an ex president that is in the dock for cooking the books trying to bury a story whilst cheating on his wife, on the hook for sex offences (has he paid out yet?), tried to lead a violent insurrection and if this miscreant gets the post again will trash the US and drop many nations in Eurpor into the hand of putin (farage blocked attempts to censure putin when he sat in the EU). That is… Read more »
Rishi can’t stop the boats. True but Farage, this very day, was in Dover (probably with his Fisher Price binoculars) blustering rubbish as usual instead of telling the towns’ residents how HE proposes to do it. He leaves that out as he did with blanket demonising Muslims which he did on Trevor Phillips’ Sky News programme on Sunday. Add to that the pathetic excuse for not standing himself (caught out by the short notice call of the election) then acting in direct contravention of party practice as designated by Tice (rooting out racists based on their social media activity), all… Read more »
Refom, just like the Brexit party before them, are just a one issue party, this time immigration and last time, immigration caused by membership of the EU. They do not deserve the publicity they get, as they offer nothing on health education or the economy, and please don’t tell me about equal airtime for all parties, because we all know nationally Plaid nor the Greens will get a fraction of the airtime this racist man will get, while both have elected MS MP’s and councilors, compared to reforms hand full of counciors elected, and no elected MP’s, just 30p who… Read more »
To add to the comments above, Farage and the rest of the Reform Party hold profoundly un-British views. They represent a singular, imperialist Anglo-British Nationalism. It is a denial of the plurality of British Nations and the attempt to relegate our historic identities and cultures to twee regional stereotypes.
The trouble is that all the Unionist parties are infected with that poisonous dogma to some extent or snother.
Nigel Farage to Keir Starmer: I’ve got a bigger Union Flag than you do!
That’s a great Idea Nigel – thanks ! I will definitely vote for something I believe in …and it most certainly will not be for your bigoted right wing party, but for Plaid. Thanks for the advice!