'Every chance' of a general election in 2027, Farage tells Reform UK conference

Nigel Farage has said there is every chance of a general election in 2027, declaring he will run on a pledge to "stop the boats" within two weeks of entering No 10.

- Rowena Mason Ben Quinn

Speaking at the Reform UK conference in Birmingham yesterday, he said the chaos in government and Angela Rayner's resignation as deputy prime minister meant the party needed to be "ready" to fight a contest two years early.

He said Rayner's actions "scream of entitlement" and the Labour government was even worse than the Tories that went before it.

The Reform UK leader laid into the "cabinet of people wholly unqualified to run our country". Speaking without an Autocue or script, Farage said Rayner quitting - not just as housing secretary but elected deputy leader - meant there would be an internal battle in Labour.

"Already they are facing the threat of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana," he said. "The left of Labour will rear its voice and we are about to witness a split in Labour too... I think there is every chance now of a general election happening in 2027 and we must be ready."

Farage announced that Zia Yusuf, the party's efficiency chief and former chair, would be its new head of policy. He said a core policy before the election would be to stop small boats carrying people seeking asylum from crossing the Channel within two weeks of taking office.