Nigel Farage made a staggering Brexit prediction 15-years before Britons decisively voted to leave the European Union, unearthed footage has revealed.
Farage, who was attending Ukip’s 2001 manifesto launch alongside then-leader Jeffrey Titford and future Tory rival Craig Mackinlay, appeared to pinpoint the exact result of the 2016 referendum on EU membership.
Britons voted to cut ties with the continental club, with 52 per cent backing Brexit and 48 per cent wanting to remain a member of the Brussels bloc.
Speaking in 2001, Farage said: “It seems to be a remarkable state of affairs that no significant political or business figure publicly has yet advocated Britain withdrawing from the European Union.
Farage was attending Ukip’s 2001 manifesto launch alongside then-leader Jeffrey Titford and future Tory rival Craig Mackinlay
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Despite that, the last MORI poll shows that 52 per cent of those who have an opinion, and I take those who haven’t got an opinion as people who wouldn’t vote anyway, but 52 per cent of those who have an opinion say they want Britain to come out and 71 per cent of those polled say they want Britain to have a referendum.”
Ukip failed to pick up any seats in 2001, obtaining just 390,563 votes.
The result was a far cry from the 811,849 people who voted for the Referendum Party in 1997.
Farage, who was standing in his third parliamentary contest in 2001, finished in fourth place with 7.8 per cent support in Bexhill & Battle.
He managed to enter the European Parliament two years before alongside Titford and former Ukip leader Michael Holmes.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:However, Farage’s comments in 2001 came a decade before David Cameron was forced to offer an in-out referendum on EU membership.
Many accused the former Prime Minister, who now serves as Rishi Sunak’s Foreign Secretary, of calling the poll to see off the threat from Farage.
However, Cameron was forced to tender his resignation outside No10 after Britons rejected his pitch to remain in the EU.
Farage was not a member of the official Vote Leave campaign but played a pivotal role as part of Leave.EU.
The 60-year-old was also not particularly confident as polls closed on June 23, 2016, predicting a narrow victory for Britain Stronger In.
Ukip MEP Nigel Farage discussing Ukip's 2001 manifesto
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However, after Britons voted to leave the EU and Theresa May appeared to botch the Eurosceptic cause, the former Ukip leader returned to battle for Brexit by touring the country with Leave Means Leave.
Farage would later romp to victory as leader of the Brexit Party in the 2019 EU Parliamentary Elections.
Boris Johnson carried on the Brexit crusade in 2019, winning 13.97 million votes and returning 365 MPs to the House of Commons.
The Tory Party is now facing electoral oblivion, with some polls suggesting the Conservative rump could collapse to below 100 MPs.
Reform UK could emerge as beneficiaries of the Tory Party’s demise.
Find Out Now’s recent MRP poll suggested Farage’s populist party could pick up 18 MPs.