Nigel Farage, whose entry into the election has complicated Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's slim chances of winning, unveiled his policy agenda on Monday.

He described it as the initial step towards becoming the leading party on the right of British politics.

On Monday, Farage acknowledged that the early election timing posed a challenge for his Reform UK party but urged supporters of Sunak's Conservatives to "join the revolt." He positioned Reform as the only party capable of holding Labour, led by Keir Starmer, accountable as Starmer is expected to become the next prime minister.

Farage is one of Britain's most well-known and polarizing figures, having influenced governments to adopt stricter immigration policies. He was instrumental in the 2016 Brexit vote.

Despite his influence, Farage has spent his career on the fringes of British politics, failing seven times to win a parliamentary seat. His parties have attracted millions of votes but have not broken the dominance of the Conservatives and Labour.

This time, Farage is running in Clacton-on-Sea, southeast England, where polls suggest he might secure a parliamentary seat. However, under the UK’s electoral system, Reform is only expected to win a few seats at best nationwide.

"We are not pretending that we are going to win this general election," Farage said during the launch of a 24-page policy document, which he called a "contract" with voters for the next five years.

He continued, "Our aim and our ambition is to establish a bridgehead in parliament and to become a real opposition to a Labour government."

Reform chose Merthyr Tydfil for its launch, aiming to highlight what it sees as Labour's mismanagement in Wales.

Farage’s unexpected entry into the election, after initially stating he would not run to focus on campaigning for Donald Trump in the United States, has divided right-of-centre voters in Britain.

The Labour Party currently leads by about 20 percentage points in opinion polls and is predicted to win a large majority. Although Reform surpassed the Conservatives in one recent poll, Farage has set an ambitious goal of winning six million votes in the July 4 election.

Other polls, however, show Reform trailing behind the governing party.

"Join the Revolt"

The Reform campaign has largely centered on Farage and his populist appeal.

The 60-year-old, who received an expensive private education and worked as a commodities trader, has successfully portrayed himself as a man of the people challenging an out-of-touch political establishment.

Reform's policies aim to attract right-of-centre voters who typically support Sunak's Conservatives, advocating for changes across major policy areas.

Immigration, an issue Farage has championed for over a decade, is a key focus. Reform pledged to immediately halt "non-essential" immigration, withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, and intercept migrants arriving by small boats before they land in Britain. They also proposed an additional payroll tax on companies employing foreign workers.

This tax is one of several measures intended to generate revenue for tax cuts, including raising the income tax threshold to £20,000, reducing fuel duty by 20 pence per litre, and eliminating value-added tax on energy bills.

"This is not a protest document, this is not a protest vote," Farage asserted. "We're unashamedly radical, we want change, this isn't working."  Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.