Richard Tice refuses to rule out Nigel Farage comeback ahead of bombshell statement
The Reform UK leader notably failed to deny that Mr Farage may make a u-turn and announce plans to stand for parliament.
Reform UK leader Richard Tice has refused to rule out the possibility of Nigel Farage standing as an MP at the election.
With nominations set to close very shortly, Mr Farage has a short window of opportunity to announce a u-turn and get on the ballot paper.
The move will spark fear in the hearts of Tories, with one Cabinet Minister reportedly warning that Mr Farage standing at the election could have their total seats.
Speaking on TalkTV this lunchtime, Mr Tice was asked whether the 4pm press conference will be Mr Farage announcing his intentions to stand.
However he batted the question, merely saying: “We are looking forward to that announcement at 4pm. We are having a great campaign so far.
"Very energised getting huge, huge positivity and returns. Sometimes patience is a virtue…”
Asked a second time, Mr Tice merely told presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer: “Come along and listen at 4pm and you will find out everything.”
Rumours began swirling about a potential Nigel Farage MP bid shortly after the emergency election press conference was announced this morning.
However Mr Farage has emphatically told numerous outlets so far this election that he absolutely won’t stand as an MP this time around.
He has lost seven bids, in five general elections and two by-elections, with his most recent attempt being his closest so far, coming within just 2,800 votes of defeating the sitting MP.
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A number of constituencies are touted as possible stomping grounds for the former Brexit Party leader, including South Thanet, which has been redrawn as East Thanet.
The other obvious option is Clacton, where UKIP won a by-election in 2014 and retained the seat in the following year’s general election.
However the local Reform UK candidate will no doubt kick up a storm if he’s forced out.
Thirdly could be Hartlepool, where Richard Tice stood in 2019 and secured one of the Brexit Party’s highest vote shares.
A senior Tory in the region told the Express that Mr Farage would “walk it” in the Teesside constituency, and they would even “bet my house on it”.
A poll by Survation previously suggested that Mr Farage could win the Clacton constituency, and defeat his Tory opponent by 10 points.
Speaking to The Sun last week, Mr Farage said he had been planning to launch an MP bid on Thursday.
However he explained he had backed down from his plans, as “the problem is, you can’t win in a constituency - or it’s very difficult to win - without data”.
He also said “it’s even harder to win when you’re Nigel Farage because the other side will cheat”.
“There’ll be third-party outside influencers, and I needed a really good run at this. And six weeks wasn't enough."
He added: "I thought, well, rather than being stuck for six weeks in a constituency, why not travel around the country?
