Former President Donald Trump congratulated Nigel Farage, a long-time political ally of his, Thursday for winning a seat in the United Kingdom’s Parliament.
“Congratulations to Nigel Farage on his big WIN of a Parliament Seat Amid Reform UK Election Success,” Trump wrote on his social media account. “Nigel is a man who truly loves his Country!”
Farage appeared to be in a good mood following his win on the ticket of Reform UK, the party that he leads. “Good morning,” Farage tweeted alongside a photo of himself in a happily triumphant pose.
Good morning. pic.twitter.com/oK1NAuVtGK
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) July 5, 2024
Farage’s party secured the third largest vote share in Thursday’s parliamentary election with more than four million votes, the BBC reported. Reform, due to the first-past-the-post system employed in the United Kingdom, reportedly won only four seats in parliament. Farage’s victory still marks an important milestone as this is the first time the right-wing populist won a seat in the House of Commons, according to the outlet. (RELATED: An Electoral Nuke Could Be Heading Straight For UK’s Conservative Party)
Farage told reporters that his party’s electoral success meant that it was “the beginning of the end of the Conservative Party,” the BBC reported.
“There is a massive gap on the centre-right of British politics and my job is to fill it,” he reportedly added.
Farage repeated this sentiment in a tweet Friday. “Last night marks the end of the Conservative Party as we know it,” he wrote.
Last night marks the end of the Conservative Party as we know it.
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) July 5, 2024
Farage said that this election was evidence that “about half of the vote is simply an anti-Conservative [i.e. anti-Tory] vote” and that his party would be “coming for Labour, be in no doubt about that,” the BBC reported. The Reform leader has previously stated that he intends for Reform UK to become the main opposition to Labour once the next election takes place, the outlet noted. Farage was formerly the leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party and the Brexit party.
Thursday’s election witnessed an electoral bloodbath for the Conservative party. Labour, the Conservatives’ main rival, gained 211 seats for a total of 412, while the Conservatives lost 250 and were left with 121, the BBC reported.
