Farage Pledges to Begin Preparing a Government to ‘Make Britain Great Again’

British populist leader Nigel Farage on Friday vowed to begin preparing for government, declaring that the country’s two main parties are in decline and that only his Reform Party can address the anger and frustration gripping the nation in order to “make Britain great again.”

Speaking at the party’s annual conference, where he received a prolonged standing ovation, Farage for the first time laid out a vision of Britain under a Reform-led government. He pledged to stop the arrival of illegal migrants by boat within two weeks, reinstate “stop and search” policing, and scrap net-zero policies.

Despite holding just four seats in the 650-member House of Commons, Farage is increasingly confident that his party—long on the margins until last year—can outpace both Labour and the Conservatives by leading on issues ranging from immigration to free speech.

The atmosphere at the two-day, packed conference in Birmingham reflected this new confidence: long queues outside, thunderous applause inside, and chants echoing Farage’s slogans. According to current polling, Reform is now seen as a potential contender for power in the 2029 general election.

Farage said Britons often tell him he represents the “last chance to get this country back on track.” He accused Labour of abandoning the people and described those running the country as “unfit to govern.”

Predicting that Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner’s resignation would cause Labour to splinter, he suggested the next national election could be brought forward to 2027 and stressed that Reform must be ready to govern at any time.

“All I can promise is that I will give it my all,” he told the crowd. “No one cares more about the state of this country than I do, and I am determined to do something about it.”

Unveiling former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries as a new recruit from the Conservatives, Farage announced the creation of a government-preparation unit and the appointment of former Reform chair Zia Yusuf as policy chief.

‘Next Steps’

Framed under the conference banner “Next Steps,” Farage said these moves build on Reform’s success in this year’s local elections and the party’s growing professionalism, distancing it from past controversies over candidates accused of racist or offensive remarks.

Loved or loathed, Farage knows how to campaign. Having played a decisive role in the 2016 Brexit referendum, he now insists that by strengthening his team, Reform can become a formidable force well before 2029.

He has challenged Britain’s two main parties on immigration, unveiling plans to repeal human rights laws to allow mass deportations of asylum seekers—a proposal questioned by analysts but one that has already pressured the government to toughen its own migration policies.

Farage has also ignited debate on free speech, criticizing the arrest of individuals for inflammatory comments posted online.

A close ally of Donald Trump, Farage visited Washington this week, urging U.S. lawmakers to push Britain to roll back what he called North Korea-style restrictions on free expression. He later met the former U.S. president in the Oval Office.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Farage’s trip and comments as “treacherous.”

Despite Reform’s rapid rise, the party still lags behind Labour and the Conservatives in terms of political donations, and it remains unclear how many business representatives attended the Birmingham conference. Even so, Farage promised to stop the “exodus” of wealthy Britons abroad.

“I make no apology for the scale of my ambition—because that is exactly what this country needs,” Farage declared, before leaving the stage to loud music and fireworks.

“What we need is hope. What we need is belief. We need to smile again, to believe in ourselves again.”

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