Nigel Farage has signalled he won’t return to the political frontline ahead of the general election in a boost for Rishi Sunak.
Reform UK’s honorary president pointed to ‘attractive options’ in the US that might keep him away from returning to a full-time role with the insurgent party.
Tories are fearful of a general election wipeout should Mr Farage turbocharge Reform’s popularity by leading their campaign.
The threat to Tory fortunes was demonstrated by Thursday’s Blackpool South by-election, in which the Conservatives only beat Reform by 117 votes in a contest won by Labour.
Reform have also been polling in double digits for a number of weeks, with Tories concerned Mr Farage’s return could see the insurgent outfit move ahead of them.
But, in a hint at his future plans, Mr Farage said this year’s US presidential election would be more important than Britain’s general election.
Nigel Farage has signalled he won’t return to the political frontline ahead of the general election in a boost for Rishi Sunak
Mr Farage, who is an ally of Donald Trump and is backing the ex-president’s bid for re-election to the White House, suggested there were ‘attractive options’ for him in the US
Speaking to the Telegraph from America, the ex-UKIP leader said: ‘Yes, we’ve got an election year, but the biggest election in the world is taking place here.
‘While I’m not ruling out anything in the UK completely, I think where I am this week is an indication of my thinking.’
Asked if he was now closing the door on the idea of returning to the UK political frontline for the election, while not fully ruling it out, Mr Farage said ‘that is a good summation’.
‘As I’ve said for some time, I’m weighing up a lot of options,’ he added. ‘Perhaps I’m in the fortunate position that I have a lot of attractive options this side of the pond.
‘The Republicans really treat me like an American, they really do. I’ve been commuting back and forth politically for a long time.’
Mr Farage, who is an ally of Donald Trump and is backing the ex-president’s bid for re-election to the White House, hailed how ‘everything here feels so much more positive’.
He spent last week in the US while voters in England and Wales went to the polls in local elections, as well as in the Blackpool South parliamentary contest.
‘I think the conservative movement in America has got the wind back in their sails,’ Mr Farage said.
‘I think the causes they’re fighting are similar to ours. There is a huge level of cross-over. It is just an exciting place to be at the moment.’
Mr Farage had previously been touted as Britain’s next ambassador to the US, with some Tories urging Mr Sunak to appoint him to the role to exploit his ties to Mr Trump.
But the Prime Minister has instead opted for long-serving official Sir Tim Barrow, who played a key role in the Brexit negotiations, to be the UK’s new top diplomat in Washington DC.