CLACTON-ON-SEA, ENGLAND — Nigel Farage has become an MP and will bring his upstart Reform Party to the U.K. parliament.
On his eighth attempt at entering the House of Commons, the right-wing populist won the constituency of Clacton-on-Sea in the east of England county of Essex with 21,225 votes, ousting the incumbent Conservative Giles Watling.
The win comes as Britain’s Labour Party headed for a decisive victory. Reform, which began the campaign with just one MP, took millions of votes off the Conservative Party, helping dump Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from office and clearing a path to victory for Labour.
Farage, who only took over leadership of Reform four weeks ago, had a warning for Labour Leader Keir Starmer, who is on course to become prime minister.
Speaking to a room of bellowing supporters, Farage said: “There is a massive gap on the centre right of politics, and my job is to fill it.”
“We’re coming for Labour — be in no doubt about that. This is the first steps in something which is going to stun all of you,” he added.
Former Tory MP Lee Anderson became the first Reform candidate to be elected to parliament — holding a seat he had won as Tory before defecting to Reform — just over an hour earlier.
The exit poll, released as soon as the polls close, suggests the party will go on to win 13 seats in total, far exceeding expectations.
Former Conservative Chancellor George Osborne warned his party against joining forces with Reform in an attempt to find electoral success at the next election, saying this would be a “disastrous route for the Tories to go down. But it will be the conversation.”
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