LONDON (AP) – The head of the U.K. Independence Party, Nigel Farage, resigned Monday as party leader, the latest political leader to tumble amid the political turmoil following the country’s vote to leave the European Union.
Farage’s departure makes him the third major political figure to announce plans to step aside rather than take ownership of the tumultuous times ahead as the country navigates its departure from the single market of some 500 million people. An odd power vacuum has replaced the staid if boisterous predictability normally typical of British politics since the June 23 EU referendum.
“During the referendum campaign, I said I want my country back. What I’m saying today is I want my life back, and it begins right now,” Farage told reporters.
Farage joins Prime Minister David Cameron, who said he will step aside to allow a successor to deal with the negotiation process. The favorite to replace him, prominent “leave” campaigner Boris Johnson, declined to stand. The opposition Labour Party has troubles of its own, with leader Jeremy Corbyn clinging to office despite having lost a no confidence vote by his party’s lawmakers.
Farage was instrumental in the campaign to have Britain leave the trading bloc, championing the issue of immigration. A much-criticized campaign poster featuring thousands of migrants massed at the border alongside the words “Breaking Point,” typified fears that fueled some Brits’ decision to vote for a British exit, or Brexit.