Former Ukip leader nominated as ‘face of the successful campaign for Britain to leave the European Union’, with Trump, Putin and Beyoncé among finalists

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Nigel Farage has been shortlisted for Time magazine’s person of the year award.

The former Ukip leader features alongside United States President-elect Donald Trump, Russian president Vladimir Putin, scientists who have developed technology to edit DNA, and Beyoncé among the 11 finalists.



The American news magazine appeared to give Farage much of the credit for the 23 June Brexit vote.



Announcing the shortlist, which is chosen by Time editors, the magazine said: “As head of the UK Independence Party, Farage was a face of the successful campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, positioning the referendum as the start of a global populist wave against the political establishment.”



Others on the shortlist include Hillary Clinton, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mark Zuckerberg, Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles, and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.



The winner will be announced on Wednesday.