The leader of the British anti-immigrant party “Reform United Kingdom“ Nigel Farage said his party's performance in the election was “really exceptional” after winning a parliamentary seat on his eighth attempt, PA Media reported, quoted by BTA.
Farage pointed out that “Reform the UK” will be “non-racist, non-sectarian” party, and this election is “the beginning of the end” of the conservatives.
„This is just the first step, I set myself a goal to win millions of votes, to occupy a good position in the parliament and that's exactly what we did, so I'm very happy,” he told reporters.
The greatly increased number of votes for “Reform the United Kingdom” it is not a “protest vote”, Farage also pointed out. “They show that there is a degree of disenchantment with politics. "I think people want something different," he added at the Clacton Sports Centre.
Farage also commented on the Conservative Party, saying: “They have existed for about 190 years. They are incredibly durable. But I think this could be the beginning of the end for the Conservative Party."
According to initial exit polls, Farage's party will get 13 seats in parliament.
The right-wing populist formation, which was created in 2018, has so far had one deputy – Lee Anderson, who broke away from the Conservatives.
This is the first time that “Reform UK” wins parliamentary seats after elections.
Farage has previously declined to say how many MPs his party is sending to parliament, but forecasts of 13 seats are higher than most exit polls initially predicted.