Nigel Farage warns he could still join election battle as he mocks Rishi Sunak's 'farcical' launch - with fears Reform UK will gift Labour victory by splitting right-wing vote
Nigel Farage mocked Rishi Sunak's 'farcical' rain-soaked election launch tonight amid fears his Reform insurgents will split the right-wing vote.
The Brexit champion said the PM had chosen political 'suicide' by gambling on a July 4 date, branding the Tories 'Big State liberals'.
He said the ballot will be 'deliverance day' for the country - but again stopped short of saying whether he will make a return to the political front line.
Instead Mr Farage said he will 'think about' his plans, suggesting Mr Sunak had gone early to prevent Reform from getting ready for the contest.
![Nigel Farage mocked Rishi Sunak's 'farcical' rain-soaked election launch tonight amid fears his Reform insurgents will split the right-wing vote](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/22/19/85215223-0-image-a-20_1716402667694.jpg)
Nigel Farage mocked Rishi Sunak's 'farcical' rain-soaked election launch tonight amid fears his Reform insurgents will split the right-wing vote
![Mr Farage said he will 'think about' his plans, suggesting Mr Sunak had gone early to prevent Reform from getting ready for the contest](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/22/19/85212745-0-image-a-22_1716403296623.jpg)
Mr Farage said he will 'think about' his plans, suggesting Mr Sunak had gone early to prevent Reform from getting ready for the contest
Anxiety has been growing in Tory ranks about the prospect of Reform gifting Keir Starmer victory by tempting natural supporters away.
The party has been registering above 10 per cent in polls, potentially enough to doom significant number of Conservative MPs - although experts believe they will not be able to win any seats.
Richard Tice is currently leader of Reform, but Mr Farage founded the party and has been mulling a comeback for months.
The timing of the poll in the summer means he might find it easier to campaign, as it is before the US election where he will be stumping for Donald Trump.
Speaking to GB News, where is a presenter, Mr Farage said: 'I think the timing of this general election has quite a lot to do with me.
'He (Mr Sunak) was scared. He'd heard rumours - true or not, he'd heard rumours - that I was going to go into the frontline political fray, and if he gave me a six-month run against the worst most insincere Conservative prime minister in history, against the most boring house party guest as leader of the Labour party … I think Reform was a very big factor in this decision.'
He added that Mr Sunak had 'chosen suicide over obliteration', and was likely to be left with 150-180 seats, compared to 50 if he waited another six months.
Mr Farage has previously stressed that he will not be joining the Tories, despite a 'very sweet' suggestion from Liz Truss that he would be welcome.
After an extraordinary day of rumours, Mr Sunak took a massive gamble by announcing the date as Thursday, July 4 - despite Labour being miles ahead in the polls.
As his suit became drenched, and with protesters playing the New Labour anthem of 'Things Can Only Get Better' in the background, Mr Sunak pointed to inflation being 'back to normal' and insisted he was 'stopping the boats'.
'The question now is how and who do you trust to turn that foundation into a secure future... now is the moment for Britain to decide its future,' he said.
Underling global threats from Russia and China, Mr Sunak portrayed himself as the safe choice for voters. 'On July 5, either Sir Keir Starmer or I will be prime minister. He has shown time and time again that he will take the easy way out and do anything to get power,' he said.
![Mr Sunak was left dripping with water after a downpour during his election launch speech](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/22/19/85211185-0-image-m-25_1716403308838.jpg)
Mr Sunak was left dripping with water after a downpour during his election launch speech
![Mr Farage has previously stressed that he will not be joining the Tories , despite a 'very sweet' suggestion from Liz Truss that he would be welcome](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/22/19/85215221-0-image-a-24_1716403307751.jpg)
Mr Farage has previously stressed that he will not be joining the Tories , despite a 'very sweet' suggestion from Liz Truss that he would be welcome
'If he was happy to abandon all the promises he made to become Labour leader once he got the job, how can you know that he won't do exactly the same thing if he were to become prime minister?'
Minutes later, Sir Keir responded with his own statement saying he welcomed 'a moment the country needs and has been waiting'.
'A chance to change for the better your future, your community, your country,' he said.