The morning of June 24th 2016 appeared to be the climax of Nigel Farage’s career, and he revelled in it. Although he had not led the official campaign he had played a key role in the fight for a leave vote. On 4th July 2016 he announced he was quitting as Ukip leader, saying: “I wanted my country back … now I want my life back”. Farage took a step back from British politics to crow from the side-lines during Brexit negotiations and begin a new career as a “shock jock” political commentator and full time Trump sycophant.
When the Tories hit trouble he reappeared earlier this year using the Brexit Party as his vehicle. His unexpected political comeback has been typically impactful. Once again, he has successfully applied pressure to the Conservative party. He taken some of their votes and forced them to change policy. He even influenced their leadership election as Boris Johnson was voted in as leader partly to fight back against the Brexit party surge.
