The Highs And Lows Of Nigel Farage

In the beginning, Nigel Farage was born. On 3 April 1964 to be precise. Upon his birth, he immediately started drinking.

OK, that's not true. What is known is that he attended a school in Dulwich where he is believed to have harboured some rather dubious views. Earlier this year a man claiming to be a former schoolfriend of Farage wrote:

... I vividly recall the keen interest you had in the two initials of your name written together as a signature and the bigoted symbol that represents from the many doodles over your school books. Nigel Farage, NF, National Front. I remember watching you draw it. Just a laugh, eh, Nigel?

As the son of an immigrant family, your frequent cry of “Send em home” and mention of the name Oswald Mosley didn’t mean much to me either until much later when I learnt of the British Fascists.

National Front/Nigel Farage, see?

Anyway, a few years later Ukip was founded in 1993 by LSE professor Alan Sked and Farage in opposition to the Maastricht treaty. The party did not get off to a great start and in the 1997 general election, Ukip fielded 193 candidates but only got 0.3% of the vote, losing out to the just as Europhobic Referendum Party. Sked resigned saying Ukip "they are racist and have been infected by the far-right". He was replaced with Michael Holmes.

Things began to look up at the 1999 elections to the European Parliament. Ukip got 7% of the vote and gained three MEPs. This jolly looking chap, Jeffrey Titford, was one of them, as was Farage who has since made a career of insulting the rest of the parliamentary chamber and making them do this...

"WUT?"

Two years later however, things were looking a bit bleak. Holmes was forced to resign in 2000 due to a conflict between himself and the Ukip's National Executive Committee. Titford became leader. In the following year's general election Ukip failed to gain any seats with a 1.5% of the vote.

In Europe however they built upon their previous success, Ukip went on to gain a (in relative terms) massive 12 MEPs in 2004. Godfrey Bloom, seen here far-right, immediately triggered a storm of protest over women's rights within hours of starting work in the European Parliament.

Remember this guy? The deliciously named, orange-faced TV agony aunt, Robert Kilroy-Silk, caused a tabloid frenzy when recruited to Ukip in 2004. He was elected an MEP that year but did nothing to hide his ambitions for leadership causing some consternation amongst the ranks. Silk left the party after nine months. His TV show, Kilroy, was cancelled after he wrote an article in the Sunday Express titled 'We owe Arabs nothing'. Ukip finished third in 2004 Hartlepool by-election, above the Conservatives who came fourth.

In the 2005 general election, Ukip were rubbish. They didn't gain a single seat and their best result was third place in Boston & Skegness.

In September 2006 Nigel Farage became leader.

In 2009 Farage stood down as Ukip leader so he could contest the seat of Buckingham. Lord Pearson was chosen to replace him. Here is Pearson at a joint press conference with well-known Dutch extreme right-winger and general Islam hater, Geert Wilders. #justsayin

In a climate where the electorate were slightly miffed at a banking crisis at the amount some MPs were claiming on expenses Ukip gained 16.5 per cent of the vote at the 2009 European elections. Or, to put it another way, they beat the government.

In the 2010 general eletion, Farage lost to John Bercow. Once again, Ukip failed to win a single seat. This disaster however was slightly overshadowed by...

This. On the morning of the election Farage attempted to mark the occasion by flying a Ukip banner across the skies of Northamptonshire. Instead, the plane crashed after the banner became entangled with the tail of the aircraft. Farage broke his sternum, ribs and punctured a lung.

Farage was re-elected party leader in August 2010. Lord Pearson said: "The UKIP crown returns to its rightful owner".

Cometh the hour, cometh the grin. The Eastleigh by-Election in 2013 was a huge coup for Ukip as they took second place in front of Labour and the Conservatives. It was so big it made Farge do this with his face...

Farage admitted the party couldn't possibly have vetted all their candidates in the 2013 local elections. Unfortunately for Ukip it meant a number of slightly dubious characters being exposed in the press. This lady for example is alleged to have said: "Only the Zionists could sacrifice their own in the gas chambers." Which, quite frankly, is simply not on.

Farage's greatest moment (so far) came with an absolutely stonking victory in the EU elections in May 2014. Ukip, who had already been bestowed with "major party status" by Ofcom and the BBC in the run up, gained 27.49% of the UK vote, soundly thrashing the opposition and 11 extra MEPs, making 24 in total.

Unfortunately, some of the electorate were less impressed.

2015 would not be quite as successful however, as Nigel Farage failed to become the MP for South Thanet. Highlights of campaign include Farage malfunctioning during a televised debate...

Al Murray - who was standing against Farage - reacting to his defeat...

And Farage resigning as Ukip leader then unresigning three days later...

2016 would bring better fortune of sorts as Farage's ultimate political goal of persuading the UK to leave the EU became a possibility with the upcoming referendum.

The lead up to the vote was characterised by some less than savoury rhetoric and grand promises from all sides. Ukip's general tone was this...

Which led to a rise of this...

On the 23 June Britain voted to leave the EU and Farage was... well...

To celebrate, he resigned again. But not before he obliterated one of the Leave camp's main platforms of diverting £350 million from the EU to the NHS.

And that brings us up to speed with the present day. 16 September 2016. The day Diane James was elected successor to the Ukip crown, but will probably be most remembered for this picture...