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Nigel Farage’s Comeback in Clacton-on-Sea
Explore the details of Nigel Farage’s anticipated comeback in Clacton-on-Sea, as he makes a political return to the iconic coastal town. Dive into the latest developments and analysis of this significant event.
The crowd of 800 cheered as pyrotechnics lit up the theater stage in Clacton-on-Sea, a faded English seaside town, and the lyrics of an Eminem song boomed out: “Guess who’s back, back again?”
A Political Disrupter’s Return
The answer is Nigel Farage, supporter of former President Donald J. Trump, Brexit campaigner, and Britain’s best-known political disrupter. Leading a new insurgent party that rails against immigration and promises to upend Britain’s impending general election, Farage is making his mark.
The Plan to Shake Up British Politics
Never before elected to the British Parliament, Mr. Farage is running to represent the Clacton area, with opinion surveys suggesting he has a strong chance of winning. His strategy involves poaching Conservative votes to weaken the Tories and potentially take over the party’s remnants.
“The establishment are terrified, the Conservatives are terrified,” Mr. Farage declared gleefully, referring to the governing party, which trails badly in opinion polls ahead of the July 4 election. Britain was “a broken nation,” he added, in a speech attacking targets ranging from asylum seekers to the BBC.
A polarizing, pugilistic figure and a highly skilled communicator, Mr. Farage, 60, helped the Conservatives to a landslide victory in the last general election by not running candidates from his Brexit Party in certain key areas. This time, his plan is rather different.
Early in the campaign, after a journalist asked if he wanted to merge Reform with the Conservatives, he replied: “More like a takeover, dear boy.”
Clacton-on-Sea is a faded English seaside town. Credit: Andrew Testa for The New York Times