Nigel Farage says he will miss being 'pantomime villain' of the EU after Brexit

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Jacob Jarvis29 January 2020
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Arch Brexiteer Nigel Farage has conceded that even he will somewhat miss the EU as he reminisced about being its "pantomime villain".

The former UKIP leader will have what will almost certainly be his last day in the European Parliament today, as MEPs vote on Boris Johnson's deal to depart the bloc.

Mr Farage, who has served as a Member of the European Parliament since 1999, spoke of the disdain he has drawn during his tenure and said: "I will miss, of course, some of the drama.

"I will miss being the pantomime villain, the guy who gets up and 500 people start booing."

Ahead of giving a speech today, he added: "I've got my last speech this afternoon - I'll try my best to get some audience participation."

Despite his nostalgia, he said he will be "celebrating the fact that the will of the people has triumphed".

Speaking ahead of the moment of Britain's departure, set for January 31, Mr Farage said he hoped Brexit would spark a conversation in other EU member states.

Mr Farage, who is currently the Brexit Party leader, said he wanted to "get Europe to leave the European Union", as he spoke of loving the continent but loathing the EU.

He said he thought the European Union was "not just undemocratic" but "actually fundamentally anti-democratic".

"The effect of Brexit is going to be that a genuine debate over the course of the next few years is going to happen," he said.

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