A new party led by Nigel Farage would attract more than a quarter of British voters, new polling has revealed.
According to the Telegraph the former UKIP leader would not rule out running in a Westminster election again, saying he is constantly accosted by people wanting him to make another go of it.
Research by Public First suggests it could be a popular move, although it remains uncertain how that would pan out with Britain’s first-past-the-post system.
More than one in ten (12 per cent) would be very interested in backing a new venture if it were launched next year, while 16 per cent would be quite interested.
Conservative voters
A significant 38 per cent of Conservative voters would consider supporting a new party led by Farage, with 43 per cent of Brexiteers saying the same.
Among those who would consider it, the most popular reason for doing so, among 62 per cent of respondents, was that “we need someone to stand up for ordinary British people”.
Other popular reasons included that “we need to cut illegal immigration” and “we just need real change”.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Farage said: “I’ve been overwhelmed in the last month, every day on email, even going to the shops, by people saying: ‘You have got to do something, someone’s got to speak up for us, they don’t represent us anymore’.
“I managed to win two national elections under proportional representation, but the last time I tried an all-out assault at a general election, I won four million votes and one seat.
“So I’m a little soured by that experience. I won’t rule it out of hand, but there’s a lot to think about, given the electoral system.”
“War against the little guy”
Farage said he thought the Government was making “some catastrophic errors”, including by launching a “war against the little guy” by raising corporation tax and dividend taxes, which have been mooted ahead of this Thursday’s Autumn Statement.
Support for a new Farage-led party was higher among those who described themselves as “very comfortable” financially, among whom 60 per cent said they would be “very interested” or “quite interested” in voting for him.
There was low support among 2019 Labour voters, of whom 21 per cent said they would be interested, and Liberal Democrats, of whom 23 per cent said the same.
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