Pro-Brexit campaigner and politician Nigel Farage has stepped back into front-line politics, announcing he will lead the right-wing Reform Party as a candidate in the upcoming British general election.
Mr Farage, 60, had previously said that he would not stand in the July 4 vote in order to help his friend Donald Trump fight the US election later this year.
But in a news conference on Monday, the Brexit figurehead said he had "changed his mind", calling for a British political revolt and challenging Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's governing Conservatives for the support of right-leaning voters.
Mr Farage said he would run in the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea in his eighth attempt to win a seat in the House of Commons.
His seven previous tries all failed.
The politician also said he would take over as leader of Reform, successor to the Brexit Party.
That role has been held since Reform was founded by Richard Tice, with Mr Farage serving as honorary president and charismatic figurehead.
Former Neighbours star backs Farage
Former Neighbours star Holly Valance has backed Mr Farage, saying she is a "paid up" member of Reform.
Speaking to GB News, she said this was "exactly what we all wanted" and that Mr Farage "gave the people what they asked for".
Ms Valance said she would campaign if Mr Farage asked her, and hinted she was involved in his decision to stand for election.
"I have been whispering in his ear for a long time," she said.
"He is the face of Reform. Richard [Tice] has done a great job and they are a great team.
"Hopefully now we will be stronger and we will see what we can do at this next election. I'm a paid-up member."
While Mr Farage stands some chance of defeating Clacton's Conservative incumbent, he has acknowledged that his larger goal is to lead the "real" opposition to a Labour Party government if the governing Conservative Party loses, as many expect.
Mr Farage said he wanted to lead a "political revolt … a turning of our backs on the political status quo".
The former head of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) said he was aiming to repeat the populist political pressure that pushed for, and then won, a 2016 referendum on taking the UK out of the European Union.
"I can't turn my back on those millions of people who followed me, believed in me," Mr Farage said.
"I've changed my mind because I can't let down millions of people."
The politician also said he would take over as leader of Reform, successor to the Brexit Party.
That role has been held since Reform was founded by Richard Tice, with Mr Farage serving as honorary president and charismatic figurehead.
The centre-right Conservatives, who have been in office for 14 years, are battling a widespread sense that voters want change.
On July 4 voters across the UK will elect representatives to fill all 650 seats in the House of Commons. The leader of the party that can command a Commons majority — either alone or in coalition — will become prime minister.
Reuters/AP/ABC
