Nigel Farage sees himself as Britain's real opposition leader.
Now the high-profile figure on the far right is demanding to participate in the next party leader debate ahead of the British election.
Farage, formerly a member of The Conservative Party and Brexit profile, now leads The Reform Party to the right of the Tories. And his party received slightly higher figures than the classic right-wing party in an opinion poll last week.
Farage believes this shows what he has been asserting for some time: that he is the true opposition leader against the social democratic Labour Party, which he has already declared the winner and new governing party.
I think we have the right to demand that the BBC gives us a place in the debate next week, he says at a press conference according to British media.
Built to stop
Four parties – the Tories, Labour, The Liberal Democrats, and the Scottish SNP – have been invited to debate. Unlike Farage's party, the four parties have seats in parliament.
Everything in our political system is built to stop the new kids on the block from getting in, says Farage.
The Reform Party hopes primarily that Farage will be elected to the Clacton constituency in southeastern England. Other candidates will find it more difficult.
Most important question
In the TV debates Farage has so far had to settle for, the other parties have sent representatives with lower status. But he is also demanding a TV duel against Labour leader Keir Starmer to be able to demand answers to his single most important question.
This election should be about immigration, he says.
In Thursday's opinion poll published in The Times, The Reform Party received 19 per cent, against the Tories' 18 per cent, both far behind Labour's 37 but ahead of The Liberal Democrats' 14 per cent of the 2,200 eligible voters Yougov had asked.
The British election is being held on 4 July.
