Nigel Farage says there is a 'very good chance' of the South West electing a Reform UK MP

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaking to ITV West Country political correspondent Lucy McDaid.

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, has said there is a "very good chance" voters in the West Country could elect an MP from his party on 4 July.

The veteran politician held a last-minute rally in a car park in Newton Abbot, to a sell-out crowd of 1,500 people on the evening of Monday 24 June.

Mr Farage was met by a standing ovation as he walked onto the stage, declaring the support "amazing".

Speaking to ITV West Country ahead of the rally, Mr Farage said he is quietly confident that his party - which was only founded in name in 2020 - may prove successful in the South West.

"There is a thirst for real politics... and it also shows that Reform has got real momentum. Talking to candidates from here in Devon and they're all feeling really good about their campaigns," he said.

"We've had huge results here back in 2019 in the European elections. Plus, in electoral terms, some of these Devon seats - and Cornwall seats - are fascinating.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was quizzed on his party's chances ahead of a sold-out rally in Newton Abbot.

"You've got Conservative-held seats - the Conservative vote is down. The Liberal Democrats are campaigning like crazy right across the region, so their vote's up. The Labour vote, as part of the national swing, will go up. And in most of these seats, we're finding Reform in a big position," he said.

"And suddenly, Reform - well we're on 19% and 20% nationally. But that includes areas like London and Scotland. So, it's a pretty fair bet that in these mid-Devon seats, we're middle-high twenties. So effectively, you've got three-way marginal [seats]. I mean, people could win these seats with 30%.

"So, I don't think any of the national polling that you see is relevant to these constituencies whatsoever. And we could see some extraordinary surprises."

Pushed on whether he could win some seats in the West Country, Mr Farage added: "We've got a very good chance this time, we won't have very many, but we have a very good chance of getting some. My ambition is for us to be the biggest party in the country by 2029, that's the plan."

  • Nigel Farage suggests he hopes to create a 'mass movement for real change'

The rally in Newton Abbot was only arranged two days before but quickly sold out.

"We literally, at five o'clock on Saturday evening, booked the venue and here we are, and we're now turning people away," he said.

"1,500 people is all we're allowed in the car park and they're here."

Speaking to the sell-out crowd, Mr Farage reiterated his desire to win seats in the West Country.

"Here in the West Country, there are many constituencies in which the Conservative vote will collapse, the Liberal Democrat vote will go up, the Labour vote will go up as part of the national swing.

"There's nothing to stop us winning seats", Nigel Farage told the crowd in Newton Abbot.

"Most of these seats, will be decided - in Devon and elsewhere - by literally a couple of hundred votes either way. And I think you're going to find: we're in the mix, we're in the mix in some of these seats.

"We're going to get a massive vote and there's nothing to stop us winning a couple of these seats - but to do it, we need to maintain that momentum."

Asked what Reform UK's goal is for this general election, Mr Farage said: "I hope to achieve a very, very big public vote and I hope to achieve some breakthroughs. And I want... not just a campaign in Parliament as an opposition to a Labour government - which is bound to be there - but to campaign in the country and to build a mass movement for real change."

Nigel Farage received multiple standing ovations throughout his speech in Newton Abbot.

Mr Farage marked the eighth anniversary of the vote to leave the European Union during his speech to the crowd in Newton Abbot, which took place the day before the rally.

He also defended his comments about NATO and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an escalating row that has seen Mr Farage labelled "morally repugnant" by former Prime Minister and Conservative politician Boris Johnson.

He went on to add that Britain "today [is] in the most dangerous international position we've been since the Cuban Missile Crisis".

Mr Farage spoke about the "real threats" of Iran and China and warned that people should "go to Plymouth" and see how the Royal Navy has shrunken in size. He reiterated that he wanted to see 3% of GDP spent on defence and better care for veterans.

1,500 people turned out to a sold-out Reform UK rally in Newton Abbot.

Mr Farage added that he believed it has been "the most vacuous election in the history of these islands".

Speaking about the number of small boats arriving from France, he said he believes he is "fully justified to call what is going on an invasion of our islands".

Immigration is a "national crisis" Mr Farage said, before receiving a standing ovation.