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Once again, it was Nigel Farage who stole the show at the campaign launch in Clacton-on-Sea.
But despite what it may not seem, Reform UK is not a one-man band, and it is racing against the clock to register candidates before the deadline of 4pm on Friday.
Reform sources say the party has between 80 and 100 seats left to achieve its target of contesting every constituency in England, Scotland and Wales. I.
Candidacy papers were sent by mail and are said to have arrived with the candidates on Tuesday, leaving them with only 72 hours to return the papers to the Election Commission.
Rumours that six Conservative parliamentary candidates are considering defecting to the Reform Party could further complicate the process.
But party chairman and former leader Richard Tice, who stepped down to make way for Mr Farage, is confident Reform can win all the seats.
“Unless someone makes a mistake on the paperwork, the seat is essentially filled,” he said.
“Essentially, we have a Plan A and a Plan B. We are confident that we can field 630 candidates and have a sufficient number of reserve candidates beyond the 630 if necessary.”
Mr Tice, who has lent the Reform Party at least £1.4m since 2021, is himself campaigning in Boston and Skegness, Lincolnshire, a deprived coastal town that voted overwhelmingly for Brexit – exactly like Clacton, Mr Farage’s target.
Savanta pollster Chris Hopkins believes Mr Farage has a “high” chance of winning the Essex town, adding: “This may be his best chance of becoming an MP.”
But the former UKIP leader’s presence could also work in the reformers’ favour nationally, Hopkins said: “I think his arrival will increase the chances of Tice winning in Boston and Skegness, and potentially a few other candidates as well.”
Mr Tice said he was “absolutely confident” Reform would win “six or so seats”. But even if they didn’t win, Mr Hopkins said Mr Farage’s party “could win a lot of second place seats and come quite close to the Conservatives”.
“Farage will be able to appeal to disaffected Conservative voters and he has real charisma – he has a pub vibe and is the polar opposite of Rishi Sunak,” the pollster said.
“He’s a massive headache for the Conservative party and on the verge of disaster. The last thing an already stagnant campaign needs is for him to return…His return would be the best thing for Labour.”
Some in the Reform Party believe that Farage’s last-minute “urgent announcement” was a planned move to gain “free publicity”.
A source said: “Nigel and Richard are both keen for him to [stand].
“We have maybe £2m or £3m to spend on a campaign. What Nigel gives us is a ton of free publicity.”
The source added: “Don’t be surprised if he somehow takes part in the leaders’ debates which currently only feature Mr Sunak and Mr Starmer. It’s undemocratic that these two boring guys are the only on-screen leaders and Nigel will be sure to point that out.”
Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister and now a Reform member, said she believed Farage’s candidacy would lead to a “surge” in support for the party. Widdecombe, who is not standing herself, said Tice had done a good job as leader but that Farage was an “inspiring figure” who would bring about a “big change”.
“The fact is Labour is going to win,” she said. “There’s no chance the Conservatives will win. So the question is, why waste voting Conservative when you can vote for change?”
Mr Widecombe said the new party was aiming to win over moderate Conservative voters and become an “effective opposition”. But it also wanted to do more than that. “The Conservatives must be crushed,” he said. “They’re getting what they deserve.”
The election will be Farage’s eighth attempt to run for a seat in Parliament, and even if his party wins millions of votes, he may end up being the reformists’ only representative in Parliament.
But he is clear about his ultimate goal: a “reverse takeover” of the Conservative Party.
“Nigel is back…we are [him] “It’s caused a storm in Parliament and brought some of the few remaining Conservatives to our side,” the insider said.
“If we were in Congress, we could have those discussions. [And] Before you know it, we may have more MPs than the Conservatives. That’s the plan. That’s how it works.”