Portrait of Nigel Farage
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Nigel Farage on European Union (EU)

Staunch EU opponent (strong)

TL;DR

Nigel Farage is a long-standing and vocal Eurosceptic whose entire political career has been dedicated to campaigning for the UK's complete withdrawal from the European Union.

Key Points

  • He was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 1999 and remained in post until the UK's withdrawal in January 2020.

  • He was a key figurehead in the 2016 campaign for the UK to leave the European Union, which succeeded with a 51.9% vote.

  • He has proposed policies designed to further distance the UK from the EU, such as blocking EU nationals from receiving Universal Credit after a short transition period.

Summary

Nigel Farage has been a prominent Eurosceptic since the early 1990s, and his core political position revolves around achieving the United Kingdom's complete withdrawal from the European Union, a goal realised with Brexit in 2020. He co-founded the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and later the Brexit Party (now Reform UK), both platforms built primarily on opposition to EU membership, which he views as an erosion of national sovereignty and an undemocratic "supernatural government." He served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1999 until the UK's departure, using the platform to vocally challenge EU institutions and leaders, famously describing a former President of the European Council as having the “charisma of a damp rag.”

His opposition extends to supporting Britain's departure from the European Convention on Human Rights. Following the referendum victory, he has continued to take a hard line, with his political movement aiming to sever closer ties, and he has expressed that the war over leaving the bloc is over following the Trade and Cooperation Agreement in December 2020. Furthermore, he has asserted that post-Brexit, the UK must never go back to the EU, framing the departure as the point of no return. His future policy stance, as the leader of Reform UK, maintains an adversarial posture towards the bloc.

Key Quotes

...you all laughed at me…you're not laughing now, are you?

Frequently Asked Questions

Nigel Farage's core position is that the UK must remain completely outside the European Union. He views the EU as an entity that infringes upon national sovereignty and has dedicated his political career to campaigning for its dismantlement from the UK's perspective.

While his objective has remained consistent—the UK leaving the EU—his political focus has evolved. He transitioned from leading UKIP to forming The Brexit Party (now Reform UK) when he felt the pace of withdrawal was being delayed by the Conservative government.

After the UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020, he celebrated the moment, stating it marked the point of no return and that the UK was never going back. He later welcomed the Trade and Cooperation Agreement in December 2020, declaring that the 'war is over.'