Nigel Farage rules himself out of the election race

Nigel Farage has teased everyone - will he? won't he? - but hisdecision not to stand in the general election is really no surprise.

A few weeks ago UKIP announced they were going to select theircandidate for South Thanet. I asked Mr Farage if he would put his nameforward - expecting a no - but he said he was thinking about it.Senior sources in UKIP hinted he might well stand.

Theresa May's election announcement has obviously concentrated hismind. As he told listeners to his LBC show tonight he thought long andhard but had pretty much decided not to run in Thanet.

It would be a bruising campaign. 2015 was not a pleasant experiencefor him. And of course there was a good chance he'd lose...again.

But then today the news of Douglas Carswell standing down offered hima much more tempting prospect - Clacton, where there was more than agood chance he would win and become an MP at long, long last.

But two reasons made him decide not to run. One he talked about onLBC. He said being the leader of a group in the European Parliamentgives him a much more powerful platform during the Brexit negotiationsthan being a backbench MP in Westminster. That is certainly true.

But there is another reason. Nigel Farage is enjoying his new life. Heloves doing a nightly show on LBC. Twenty years ago he told me hisdream was to host a radio talk show.

He loves being a regular contributor to Fox News in America where theycall him the man behind Brexit. He loves his speaking engagements inAmerica. He loves his access to the movers and shakers in the Trumpadministration including of course on at least two occasions thePresident himself.

It's a lifestyle he's dreamed about - and he surely prefers it totrudging the streets of Ramsgate in search of votes in an election hemight well lose.

But Nigel Farage will remain an MEP for the southeast and he will bevery vocal in the European Parliament fighting for the kind of Brexithe wants.

Tonight though his other dream has died: after seven failed attemptshe'll never be an MP. It was a dream that began in the Eastleighby-election which was held on June 9 1994.

Exactly 23 years later we'll know the result of Election 2017...andfor the first time since Eastleigh Nigel Farage's name won't be on anyballot paper.

By Phil Hornby