Nigel Farage's decision on Reform is disappointing - I will slink back to Tories but they need to focus on migration - Kelvin MacKenzie

But the issue, over time, of literally hundreds and thousands of illegal migrants coming to our shore is far more important than my narrow political views. Only the other day an independent consultancy worked out that rents were 11% higher because of the influx of migrants.

You wouldn’t have to be a genius to work out that a mixture of landlords bailing in the face of a Socialist rent cap, loads of immigrants arriving and house building falling, only one thing is going to happen; Rents are going up.

So, I was looking to Nigel to be a bright light over the next weeks. That is not going to happen. In his statement he says he will ‘’do his bit’’ for Reform but says it is ‘’ not the right time for me to go any further than that’’.

And further he says that he will be more focussed on the US General Election as it has ‘’global significance’’ pointing out, correctly, that the US is ‘’vital for our peace and security.’’

Mysteriously he adds that he ‘’intends to help with the grassroots campaign’’ in the US. I find that odd. Prepared to wear out shoe leather 3,000 miles away but doing very little over here.

What will the effect of Nigel not running be on Reform. The party is lucky that they have a safe and capable pair of hands in Richard Tice. But, to be honest, he is no Farage.

Eight years ago Farage pulled off the greatest political shock in our lifetime by getting Brexit on the ballot sheet and winning it. No other politician could have done that. That is his legacy and the one that will cast a huge shadow over Tice.

A capable media performer but Tice will not receive the spotlight in the way Farage has done. It will be difficult for him to be heard.

The one benefactor in all this is Rishi Sunak. I must say I thought him quite mad in literally announcing the General Election without even checking the weather or having a great speech ready to go.

That’s over now and will be lost in the six-week battle ahead. I salute him for coming straight out of the blocks this morning and saying that Starmer’ immigrant policy is, in effect, an amnesty which will be a magnet for even more illegals coming to the country.

That view will resonate with his voters. If he stays the course on that subject there is no doubt he will shore up his polling. Without a Farage running for Reform I will return to the Tory fold.

Starmer is an unattractive candidate. Clearly doesn’t believe in anything and simply hopes the soft shoe shuffle will get him through it. I think he will win but a 25% lead will disappear. If he’s in the high single figures it will be a miracle.

I know for sure that NO tradespeople, the plumbers, the sparkies, the brickies etc, will vote for him. They have done fantastically under the last 5-6 years of the Tories.

Thanks to Brexit, their competition for work all went back to Poland, Romania and the like. That meant they had more work than they could handle and could charge what they like.

They have a lot to thank the Tories for and you can be absolutely sure that the economy will go belly up under the Socialists. It always does.

The unions will start running the country again and despite what Reeves says taxes will rise so the skint and the dim can have increased benefit payments. The clever and the rich will bugger off - probably joining Farage in the US.

It’s a nightmare scenario with Labour in charge. So, I would be grateful if you would join me at Heathrow’s Terminal Five on the morning of July 5. There will be a long queue.