Henry Riley: LBC Presenter on Nigel Farage and the Reform Party's success in the UK Election

The Tories have been totally annihilated in the UK election with a colossal victory for Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party. 

It's won 392 seats, topping the amount needed to form a majority Government by more than 60 seats.  

Meanwhile, controversial Brexit champion Nigel Farage has proved eight times is the charm —finally getting a seat in Clacton— with his right-wing Reform Party scoring four seats. 

LBC presenter Henry Riley told Heather du Plessis-Allan the excitement was palpable at the Reform HQ. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Afternoon the Labor Party. He has officially won the UK election,
with Serkia Staman now the Prime Minister in waiting outgoing
Prime Minister Rishisunak has promised a peaceful transfer.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Of power today.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner,
with goodwill on all sides. That is something that should
give us all confidence in our country's stability and future. Meanwhile,
reformerly the Nigel Farage is Beck Baby, he's finally become
an MP on his eighth attempt at doing it. Henry
Riley is present around report for LBC's been collected with
Nigel Faraj as the results come in high Henry, Hello,

(00:32):
it's a pretty convincing victory for Nigel Farage, isn't it
It is?

Speaker 2 (00:37):
I mean, there were a sort of palpable excitement just
before ten o'clock when the exit pole came in and
it looked like Nigel Farage and his party had done
pretty well. And I have to say they were absolutely
cockerhoop when they arrived at the count They were buzzing,
and in many ways rightly so. This is a new
political party. It's only been going for five years. Previously

(00:57):
it was called the Brexit party, but now Reform UK
has been that name. Since January twenty twenty one. They
have won at least four seats. We know the exit
poll had predicted them to win thirteen. They'll settle for four,
one source within the party told me will definitely take that.
And crucially though, among that number is Nigel Farage. And

(01:18):
it's difficult to underscore just how important that is. This
is the beating heart of his party here in Clacton.
He is a disruptor. He is the itch that the
Conservatives just cannot scratch. They cannot get rid of mister
Farrage and obviously seven previous attempts at being an MP. Well,

(01:38):
voters in Clackson waking up this morning and Nigel Farage
is now heading to the House of Commons.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
It's pretty remarkable that they've managed to get to this
play and that it was only three days and a
month that he'd ago that he decided to run. How
on earth does he managed to do it.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Well? I mean, when the election was announced Nigel Farrage,
who was only the sort of honorary presentident to have
Reformed UK. Whilst he set up the party, he wasn't
really involved and there was all this speculation he was
going to go and work for Donald Trump or go
in campaign to miss the Trump and he ruled himself out.
He said, six weeks is not enough time for me
to win my seat. And then a few days later

(02:15):
I think the anticipation. Nigel Farage clearly had been yearning
to get into the House of Commons and this was
too good an opportunity to throw away. He knew the
Conservatives were at perhaps the lowest point we may well
see them in the next one hundred years or so,
and so Nigel Farage smelt blood and he went for it.
And I mean he ran a fantastic campaign nationally, hence

(02:38):
why he's gone from zero to four seats, and here
in Collacton in particular, he's managed to galvanize voters and
head to the House of Commons and look, he's got
a tool order. He's made a lot of promises. He's
going to hold Labour speak to the fire on the
issue of small votes. He's got a long list of
priorities that he wants to see implemented. Clearly, with four MPs,

(03:00):
drafting with Labour's four hundred odds is going to be
a bit of a toul order. But the one thing
about Nigel Farage I referenced it earlier. He is a disruptor.
He knows how to make noise. He did it for years,
for decades in the European Parliament. He wants to bring
that to the House of Commons, to make as much
noise as possible and to be a thorn in the
side of the Conservatives, but also crucially Kir Starmer and

(03:22):
his new Labour governments.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Good stuff, Henry, Thank you so much for your time.
Henry Riley, LBC presenter. For more from Hither Duplessy Alan Drive,
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