NIGEL Farage will become Prime Minister after a massive financial meltdown knocks Sir Keir Starmer out of power, Donald Trump’s former chief strategist has declared.
Steve Bannon slammed the current Tory leadership under Rishi Sunak, saying they are even worse than the American Republicans.
Political firebrand Bannon – who hosts the “ultraMAGA” podcast WarRoom – was President Trump’s controversial chief strategist and senior counsellor following his 2016 election victory.
He dramatically left the post in 2017 but has remained a staunch supporter of Trump’s re-election and his “Make America Great Again” pledge.
Bannon dished out some fierce criticism and made some sweeping predictions on The Sun’s new politics show, Never Mind the Ballots.
On our stateside special, Bannon also:
You can watch the show on thesun.co.uk or The Sun’s YouTube channel.
Bannon warned the UK’s deepening financial woes will spell disaster for Labour.
And he said it would set the stage for Farage to swoop in and lead the UK to the “sunlit uplands”.
The former White House mastermind told The Sun’s hit politics show: “I think the Tories are actually, if you could pick a conservative party worse than Republicans – it would be tough to create it – it would be the Tories.”
After predicting a Conservative Party “election wipe out”, he said: “I think Nigel Farage will be Prime Minister after Sir Keir, and I think Nigel Farage with this kind of populist-nationalist take, it will be a guy that already had the most important political development with Brexit.
“I think he’s the guy to actually see Brexit through, and I believe he’ll be Prime Minister one day and I think he’ll lead the United Kingdom to the sunlit uplands.”
With the UK already grappling with economic instability, Bannon warned there will be a “global financial crisis”.
Bannon went on: “I happen to think it’s going to be on Sir Keir’s watch and that’s what I think will lead back to the premiership of Nigel.”
When the moment comes, the long-time ally of Trump called on Farage to shake up the Conservative Party from within rather than start a new party.
Bannon said: “The way I see it, the Tory Party, like the Republicans, don’t spend a lot of time trying to build third parties.
“Take over the apparatus that’s right in front of you.”
Previously, in 2017 and 2018, Farage was said to be in talks with Bannon about fronting a global alliance of populist and far-right politicians, according to The Guardian.
Farage reportedly said he would be keen to take the role after Bannon discussed the idea of forming a group based around populism and “economic nationalism”.
But the idea – which later became an initiative led by Bannon for right-wing populist parties, called the Movement – foundered amid reports the operation could be illegal in most of the countries in which Bannon planned to intervene.
Bannon reportedly told Farage in the original pitch about the populist movement – at Bannon’s Washington DC headquarters in October 2017 – that he would be “the perfect guy” to front it.
Farage and Trump are known to be friends and have campaigned together, with Farage seen interviewing Trump and at rallies.
Just this month, the ex-US president wished the Brexit campaigner a happy 60th birthday.
In a video message played at Farage’s party on April 3, Trump said: “You’re a historic figure as a prophetic leader, and I know that the people of the UK are grateful for your patriotism and service.
“In fact. I’m very much looking forward to watching what your next move is going to be, it’s going to be an interesting one.”
Farage has said he would happily serve as Britain’s ambassador to the US under a Trump presidency.
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss this month said she would like the Reform UK founder to join the Tories.
The Brexit champion said it was “very sweet” of her to say that but insisted he had no intention to do so for the time being.
Farage told ITV: “I’ve got no intentions of joining this Conservative Party at this moment in time.
“I’ve absolutely no idea what they stand for on any issue at all, nor do they.
“It’s very sweet of Liz Truss to say that, but I won’t be joining the Conservative Party.”
The former MEP said he “simply hasn’t decided” whether to take a more prominent role ahead of the election.
Richard Tice is currently leader of the Reform UK but Farage founded the party and has been mulling a comeback for months.
NIGEL Farage is best known for his outspoken opinions and anti-EU championing of Brexit.
Farage was born in Kent and attended the private Dulwich College.
After leaving the famous private school, he decided to skip university and started working in the City – London’s finance district – in 1982.
Despite supporting the Conservatives since school, he left the party after John Major signed the Maastricht Treaty.
He became a founding member of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), which campaigned to leave the European Union, in 1993.
Farage did get elected to the European Parliament in 1999, and stayed there until 2020.
After being made leader of UKIP in 2006, Farage declared he wanted to “regain control” of the UK’s borders and immigration and has called for a points-based visa system and time-limited work permits.
He resigned as UKIP leader to stand in the 2010 general election.
But on the day of the 2010 UK general election he survived a plane crash and spent two days in hospital.
In 2014, Farage led UKIP to the largest share of the vote in the European election.
He stood down from UKIP in 2019 and launched the Brexit Party.
In 2021, he resigned as leader of Reform UK – the renamed Brexit Party.
The UK’s most prominent Brexiteer has long been a friend and ally of former US President Donald Trump, and has been seen interviewing him and supporting him at rallies.
He has said he would happily serve as Britain’s ambassador under a Trump presidency.
Farage has four children – two sons with his ex-wife and two daughters with Kirsten Mehr, a German national he reportedly met in 1996.
Outside of politics the former UKIP leader has also appeared on hit ITV show I’m A Celebrity last year.
Bannon was dubbed Trump’s “puppet master” with a direct line to the President during his time as chief strategist.
But he dramatically left the post in 2017 amid rumours of a power struggle with Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.
In 2019, Bannon was indicted on charges of money laundering, fraud and conspiracy.
He was accused of cheating donors of a “We Build the Wall” fundraiser – which aimed to establish a blockade along the US-Mexico border.
But Bannon’s federal crime was pardoned by President Trump in the final hours of his presidency in a sign their relationship had warmed.
Since then, Bannon has been a staunch supporter of Trump’s re-election, boldly declaring “MAGA could rule for 50 years” just weeks ago.
On tonight’s Never Mind the Ballots, Bannon urged Trump to “focus” on Biden during this “tough part” of his campaign.
Bannon said Trump “needs to turn the guns on” Biden, 81, when he’s out of the courtroom.
The former president is on trial in Manhattan, charged with falsifying business records to cover up an alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.
Prosecutors claim that by making payments and covering them up, Trump “orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election”.
Trump – who is running for a nonconsecutive second term in this year’s presidential election – has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and denies that the encounter took place.
Bannon said: “We’re in a very tough part of this campaign right now and President Trump has got to focus, continue to focus that his opponent is Joe Biden.
“His opponent is not the judge in the court.”
He continued: “When he’s out of the courtroom he needs to turn the guns on, back on to Biden.
“I think if we do this and you do it smartly this could be a net positive for the campaign.”
Also on tonight’s episode of Never Mind the Ballots, controversial Bannon claimed the pro-Palestine movement has made US colleges more dangerous than cartel-controlled parts of Mexico.
BRITAIN’S top diplomat in America fears hate-filled pro-Palestine protests could hit universities at home.
Dame Karen Pierce spoke out as demonstrations at US campuses such as Columbia and Yale led to a wave of disorder and arrests as Jewish students face anti-Semitic harassment.
Britain’s Ambassador to the United States intervened in the row while talking to The Sun’s Political Editor Harry Cole on a US special edition of our Never Mind The Ballots show.
Speaking from the Embassy in Washington DC, she said: “Well, the campuses obviously reflect the very strong views about what’s going on in Israel, Gaza.
“There’s no place for anti-Semitism on campus. The administration, congressional figures have been very clear about that. The British government’s been clear about that.
“Students have a right to protest. It has to be within the law. It’s the same back home in the UK. I don’t know whether this is indicative of a bigger trend.
“I think some commentators have said that the Israel-Gaza is, if you like, the cause of this generation.
“What we need to do now is ensure the hostages get out, get more aid in, get all the crossing points open so that more aid can get in, encourage the Israelis, urge the Israelis to take more care over civilian casualties.
“The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have been very strong on that.
“But fundamentally, we support Israel’s right to self defence. And that’s why we joined the action against Iran the other day.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Anti-Semitism on campuses in the United States is reminiscent of what happened in German universities in the 1930s. The world cannot stand idly by.”
He warned that that Jewish students and Christian conservatives are under attack on campuses across the States.
He told host Harry Cole that pro-Palestinian demos, riddled with Jihadists, have made colleges more threatening than the Darien Gap.
Bannon said: “The pro-Palestinian movement in American is the most anti-American movement I’ve ever seen in the streets of this country.
“If you’re a young Jewish student or quite frankly a MAGA Christian, if you walk across that campus you will be attacked, it’s a very dangerous.”
Over the past week US universities including Columbia and Yale have seen an explosion in pro-Palestinian protests.
The majority of these protests see thousands gather peacefully on campuses across the US.
But some colleges have seen activists pitch up tents to create an “encampment”, where Jewish students who believe in the State of Israel have been banned from entering.
Gaza activists have been filmed screaming at Jewish students to “go back to Poland”.
And there have been calls for young Jews to be attacked by Hamas’ terrorist killer brigade Al Qassam.
This week Columbia was forced to move all classes online after a hike in threats to students who disagreed with the left-wing protesters.
Bannon claimed the shocking scenes are a result of diversity and inclusion initiatives.
He said: “People should understand this revolt of Sharia supremacists in this country is just picking up steam and it’s going to be quite violent and quite dangerous.
“The jihadists, the Sharia supremacists have won and have taken over at least Columbia, I think you’ll see many more Ivy League schools like this, I think NYU’s going to go like this.”
The right wing agitator argued that Joe Biden hasn’t been tough on protests because he’s trying to appease Muslim voters.
Bannon said: “He understands he has to appease the Muslim community, the Arab-American community which has been a key component of the Democratic Party or he has no shot of winning Michigan.
“I believe if he can’t win Michigan it’s going to be very tough for Biden to win the presidency.”
