Is Nigel Farage about to join election battle? Reform set to stage press conference at 11am after Brexit champion said he was still 'thinking about' comeback
Rumours are swirling about a Nigel Farage comeback today as Reform prepares to launch its election push.
Party leader Richard Tice has called a press conference at 11am after Rishi Sunak fired the starting gun on a July 4 contest.
But uncertainty surround Mr Farage's intentions, with even senior Reform insiders admitting they have no idea whether he will turn up this morning.
In interviews last night, the Brexit champion said the PM had chosen to go for political 'suicide' branding the Tories 'Big State liberals'.
But he only said he would 'think about' his own plans overnight, suggesting Mr Sunak's decision to go early had 'quite a lot to do with me' - so he did not have time to gain momentum in a campaign.
![Rumours are swirling about a Nigel Farage comeback today as Reform prepares to launch its election push](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/23/08/85237335-0-image-a-1_1716448960006.jpg)
Rumours are swirling about a Nigel Farage comeback today as Reform prepares to launch its election push
![Mr Farage said last night 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 last night he will 'think about' his plans, suggesting Mr Sunak had gone early to prevent Reform from getting ready for the contest
![Party leader Richard Tice has called a press conference at 11am after Rishi Sunak fired the starting gun on a July 4 contest](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/23/08/85237327-0-image-a-2_1716448974325.jpg)
Party leader Richard Tice has called a press conference at 11am after Rishi Sunak fired the starting gun on a July 4 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.
But Mr Farage has also pointed out that it is incredibly difficult to get MPs elected under first past the post - having failed himself to win a seat many times.
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.
Mr Sunak hit the election campaign trail today urging Brits to back his 'bold' vision - as a poll showed Labour 25 points ahead.
The PM joked he is 'drier' than yesterday as he gave interviews from Derbyshire after shocking the country - and his own MPs - by pulling the trigger on a July 4 contest.
He launched a highly personal attack on Keir Starmer, swiping that he had 'no convictions' and voters cannot trust him. With ministers braced for potentially grim immigration stats this morning, Mr Sunak also suggested the Labour leader would make the UK a 'magnet' for Channel boats.
![Mr Sunak was left dripping with water yesterday 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 yesterday 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
![Nigel Farage mocked Rishi Sunak's 'farcical' rain-soaked election launch 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 amid fears his Reform insurgents will split the right-wing vote
However, the scale of the task facing the premier was underlined this morning with YouGov research showing Labour 25 points ahead - enough for a landslide bigger than that secured by Tony Blair in 1997. Polling guru Sir John Curtice said Mr Sunak's decision to call a ballot meant he is 'either very brave or extremely foolhardy'.
Mr Sunak told GB News: 'If you elect me, if I'm Prime Minister on July 5, those flights will go off to Rwanda and we will begin to put in place the deterrent that we need to stop the boats.
'Because there is no way to stop this problem unless you can have a deterrent, unless it's clear that if someone comes to our country illegally they won't be able to stay and they will be removed.
'Unless you're able to deliver that people will keep coming.'