Brexit champion Nigel Farage’s Reform party surges, targets Labour in parliament blitz

Brexit champion Nigel Farage has declared he is ‘coming for Labour’ as he storms into parliament on his eighth attempt and his Reform party eats into Conservative votes.

Brexit champion Nigel Farage has declared he is “coming for Labour” as he stormed into parliament on his eighth attempt and his Reform party ate into Conservative votes on Friday.

In an election dominated by minor parties and independents on the left and the right taking votes from Labour and the Tories, Mr Farage won the seaside seat of Clacton with a majority of nearly 8000 votes.

Farage’s right-wing Reform Party has exceeded expectations, with a significant surge in support as the former Brexit advocate secures four seats in the House of Commons and beat the Conservatives in many areas former prime minister Boris Johnson won at the last election.

The former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader and key Brexit figure, who had campaigned on cutting immigration, has vowed to fill the “gap” in British politics.

“Given that we had no money, no branch structure, virtually nothing across the country, we are going to come second in hundreds of constituencies,” Mr Farage said in his first victory speech.

He acknowledged the uncertainty in the number of seats they would ultimately win, but emphasised “something very fundamental is happening.”

“It’s not just disappointment with the Conservative Party, there is a massive gap on the centre-right of British politics, and my job is to fill it.”

Brexit champion Nigel Farage won the seaside seat of Clacton with a majority of nearly 8000 votes. Picture: Henry Nicholls/AFP

Referring to a huge rally he held at the NEC in Birmingham a few days ago, Farage said that his plan to build a national movement to challenge Labour was now more credible than ever.

“This Labour government will be in trouble very, very quickly. And we will now be targeting Labour votes. We’re coming for Labour, be in no doubt about that.”

It was only in the last few weeks that Farage decided that he was going to step into the fray as the leader of the Reform party and stand in the constituency of Clayton, were he won.

Mr Farage has taken the Reform party in the space of four years to a projection of 13 seats in parliament.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has also successfully retained his seat in Parliament, thwarting his former party’s attempt to unseat him in Islington North.

Mr Corbyn, who led Labour to its most significant defeat in a century during the 2019 election, was expelled from the party due to his refusal to apologise for the widespread anti-Semitism that plagued the opposition under his leadership.

Jeremy Corbyn was expelled from the party due to his refusal to apologise for the widespread anti-Semitism that plagued the opposition under his leadership. Picture: Peter Nicholls/Getty Images

But the Islington North MP secured his position as an independent with a majority of more than 7000 votes, and will now likely be a thorn in the side of new prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.

“This result, is to me a resounding message from the people of Islington... They’re also looking for a government that on the world stage will search for peace, not war,” Mr Corbyn said in his victory speech.

“We have shown what kinder, gentler and more sensible, more inclusive politics can bring about.”

The win came as a huge relief for the 75 year-old who has represented his constituency for 40 years.

“Our campaign did not get into the gutter of politics as it too often happens in this country, ours is a positive campaign trying to bring hope to people.”

Veteran left-wing political maverick George Galloway was defeated, losing his parliamentary seat to Labour’s Paul Waugh in the northern English town of Rochdale. Galloway had held the seat for only four months, which he only secured in a by-election prompted by the death of the previous MP.

The Green Party also made significant gains, with their leader Carla Denyer being elected as the new MP for Bristol Central, unseating Labour’s Thangam Debbonaire.