What does Reform UK leader Nigel Farage standing in Clacton mean for the Tories?

The Tories could be facing an existential threat after Nigel Farage announced he will stand as a Reform UK candidate at the general election.

At a press conference on Monday, Mr Farage announced he will contest the constituency of Clacton in Essex, after it was also confirmed he will take over as leader of the party.

He has been able to take over as leader and become the new candidate without any normal political process because Reform is a not a traditional political party, but a company of which he is the key owner. As such, Mr Farage can largely do what he wants.

Nigel Farage is running for parliament, and the Tories should be worried.

Giving a speech announcing the U-turn, Mr Farage insisted his party could get “more votes” than the Conservative party, adding the Tories were “on the verge of collapse”.

For the Tories, this is obviously bad news. The seat, while held by a big Tory majority, voted overwhelmingly to leave in the referendum. It was also won by former Tory Douglas Carswell for Ukip, so there is precedent.

While running as a candidate is one thing, becoming party leader is far more dangerous for the Conservatives. Instead of just speaking at political conferences, Mr Farage will now be a figure during the TV debates, as well as leader interviews. Having threatened to take over the Tory party, Mr Farage can now drain their support figure by enjoying even more of a media profile.

Conservative MPs had been terrified about this possibility, with those who had been trying to oust the Prime Minister doing so hoping it would see Mr Farage and his party cool off.

However, while this could see some voters abandon the Tories, it doesn’t seem as significant as when Mr Farage’s Brexit party made pacts in the 2019 election. Sir Keir Starmer is already on track for the biggest election victory in history, according to the MRP YouGov poll, with Labour tipped to win 422 seats, and the Tories just 140.

This isn’t because of Mr Farage. As he said himself, the Tories were already expecting to lose.

But it’s another headache for Mr Sunak, when things didn’t seem like they could get any worse. Mr Farage will be a problem, but the damage may already have been done.