Nigel Farage live: Two arrested after Reform leader has milkshake thrown at him in Clacton

No other political party is dictating the Conservatives’ migration policy, James Cleverly has said.

Asked by broadcasters if the Tories could move further to the right as a result of Nigel Farage’s return to frontline politics, the Home Secretary and Conservative candidate for Braintree said: “Conservative policies are created with the British people in mind.

“We focus on their needs, on the needs of the British economy and the British people, and our policies are not dictated by any party.

“We have got a credible plan, it is a plan which is already working, bringing those migration figures down and projected to continue to do so under a Conservative government.

“No other party has got a credible plan for migration. Not Reform, not the Lib Dems, not Labour.”

Nigel Farage’s decision to stand as MP and take over as party leader could change Reform UK’s chances of winning seats in the general election, says polling firm YouGov.

Reform was on course to come out of the election empty handed, according to forecasts on Monday.

But the data’s release came hours after The Independent broke the news that Nigel Farage had decided to stand as the party’s candidate in Clacton, Essex.

According to YouGov’s director of political analytics, Patrick English, the announcement “significantly increases the odds” that Reform could win at least one seat – and even up to four.

Read the full article by Alicja Hagopian here:

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he would be a “champion” for Clacton, which he described as a “forgotten, end-of-the-line town”.

Speaking from the Moon and Starfish pub in the Essex town, he said: “I had to decide, do I want to stand as a Member of Parliament and spend every Friday working in Clacton? Huge decision for me, huge decision for me, I’ve decided, I do.”

He added: “I’ll be here as many Fridays as I can, of course I will. My message to the people of Clacton is, ‘these people here supported me in Ukip and the local MP at the time, Douglas Carswell’.

“They supported me hugely in the Brexit referendum campaign, and they want someone to stand up for their beliefs, and they don’t see that in today’s Conservative Party, they certainly don’t see that in today’s Labour Party.

“I will be their champion on the national issues and on the local issues, having a national figure representing a forgotten, end-of-the-line town, who knows I may well be able to bring some investment and do some good.”

Nigel Farage joked about having a milkshake thrown on him during a campaign stop in Clacton-on-Sea on Tuesday.

Images appeared to show a young woman dousing the Reform UK leader with a McDonald’s banana milkshake as he left the Moon and Starfish pub in the Essex seaside town.

Mr Farage was previously the target of a “milkshaking” incident in 2019 when his party was known as the Brexit Party.

He appeared to reference “Milkshake” by Kelis in a video posted after Tuesday’s campaigning.

Watch below:

While on a visit to Clacton, Nigel Farage said he will be watching the leaders debate between Sir Kier and Mr Sunak tonight he said he wished he could be taking part himself.

He dismissed the two main party leaders as “Lib Dems saying the same thing”.

Rishi Sunak will go head-to-head with Sir Keir Starmer in a TV debate at 9pm tonight as he strives to turn his party’s fortunes around. 

You can follow our live coverage of the debate here.

Nigel Farage has set out his goal for Reform UK to effectively take over the Conservative Party – and potentially put him in No 10 in future.

The Reform UK leader said he would be a “bloody nuisance” in Westminster if he succeeds in becoming an MP at his eighth attempt.

Addressing hundreds of supporters at a rally in Clacton-on-Sea after announcing he would stand for election there, Mr Farage said the Tories should “pay a big price” for betraying the promises of Brexit.

Addressing a rally at Clacton Pier, Mr Farage hit out at the Tories over the handling of Brexit: “We made an offer to the British people, we could get back our independence and control of our borders.

“But what has happened? The Conservatives have betrayed that trust. They’ve opened up the borders to mass immigration like we’ve never seen before.

“And they deserve to pay a price for that, a big price for that.”