Nigel Farage is a British politician who has stood as a candidate representing the eurosceptic UK Independence Party (UKIP) since 1994. He has been a Member of the European Parliament representing South East England since the 1999 election, winning re-election three times. Farage has stood for election to the House of Commons seven times, in five general elections and two by-elections, but has not won any of those elections. He was also a leading proponent of the UK leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum, in which the electorate voted to do so.