Nigel Farage: I will not stand in the general election

Former Ukip leader has stood for election to Parliament six times, but has never been an MP

Farage has stood for election six times (Getty)

Nigel Farage has announced he will not stand in June's general election.

Writing in the The Daily Telegraph, the former Ukip leader said: "I have decided that I will not stand in this election but fight for Brexit in Europe."

Mr Farage has stood for election to parliament six times, including in 2010, when he was nearly killed in a light aircraft crash on election day.

Mr Farage had considered standing in Clacton, after the party's sole MP, Douglas Carswell quit Ukip a few weeks ago. He said the constituency would have been an “easy win” but his attention was focused on the European parliament.

“If I compare the platform I have in Strasbourg to being a backbench MP, there is frankly no comparison,” he said.

“The Brexit negotiations will take place in Brussels and the European parliament will not only have a large impact on them, but ultimately will have the right of veto on any deal at the end of the two-year process.”

Mr Farage also said he expected Theresa May would win a large majority for the Conservatives on 8 June.

On Thursday morning, Mr Farage said current Ukip leader Paul Nuttall had "six weeks to prove himself" after his disastrous by-election campaign in Stoke-on-Trent.