Nigel Farage warned he that he would turn British politics upside down if denied a seat at Brexit negotiations.
Farage made the statement on Monday after his new party swept to victory in the United Kingdom’s European Parliament election.
After repeated delays to Brexit, Farage said the United Kingdom had to leave the EU on Oct. 31, the current deadline for Britain’s parliament to agree an exit deal. Farage would prefer to leave without a deal.
In comments to Reuters, Farage said that never before in British politics has a new party, launched six weeks ago, topped the polls in a national election.
But Members of the European Parliament cannot directly influence British policymaking, and it will be Theresa May’s successor who decides the country’s fate after she leaves office on the 7th June.
None of the candidates seeking to replace May are expected to offer an olive branch to Farage, a longstanding rival who has the potential to split the right-wing vote in Britain.
Unlike in 2014, when the Conservatives were only 12 months away from a national election, this time Britain is not due to hold one until 2022 – unless the government collapses under the strain of delivering Brexit.
Nevertheless, Farage said he was determined to build quickly on his latest success: he wants the Brexit Party to have a full complement of 650 candidates ready in case a general election is called sooner than expected.
