Nigel Farage today declared he has ‘no interest’ in Reform UK striking a pre-election deal with the Tories – just a day after he claimed they ‘might have a conversation’.
The ex-UKIP leader, who is now Reform’s honorary president, insisted he was being ‘deeply sarcastic’ when he hinted he was open to a pact with the Conservatives.
‘There is no deal with the Conservatives whatsoever,’ Mr Farage told a press conference in central London this afternoon.
It came after Reform leader Richard Tice earlier shut down talk of a deal with the Tories before polling day on 4 July, claiming Rishi Sunak‘s party had ‘betrayed Britain’.
The Prime Minister has also ruled out a deal with Reform, despite the insurgent party putting huge pressure on the Tories over issues such as the Channel migrant crisis.
Mr Tice labelled the remarks made by Mr Farage yesterday as ‘a bit of banter’ and ‘a bit of fun’, as he played down suggestions of a split between them.
Nigel Farage today declared he has ‘no interest’ in Reform UK striking a pre-election deal with the Tories – just a day after he claimed they ‘might have a conversation’
Appearing on The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots show yesterday, Mr Farage hinted he was open to a general election deal with the Tories
He pointed to the ‘huge favours’ he had done for the Conservatives in the past as he demanded the PM ‘give me something back’.
Mr Farage denied he was angling for a peerage and a seat in the House of Lords, revealing he had ‘turned all that rubbish down in the past’.
But, speaking today as he helped unveil Reform’s new immigration policy, which would see firms charged more tax for employing foreign workers, Mr Farage said: ‘This was a deeply sarcastic answer.
The Brexit champion added: ‘I have absolutely no interest of any kind at all in doing anything with them.
‘My reply was deeply sarcastic. What are they ever going to give me? Well the answer is three-fifths of five-eights of very little.
‘There is no deal with the Conservatives whatsoever.’
Reform UK leader Richard Tice earlier insisted his party would make ‘no deal’ with the Tories ahead of the general election as he dismissed a suggestion by Mr Farage
Mr Farage, who is Reform’s honorary president, yesterday said he ‘might have a conversation’ about what the Tories could offer
Ahead of the 2019 general election, Mr Farage’s Brexit Party – the predecessor of Reform – agreed not to stand in Conservative-held seats.
This was credited with helping former PM Boris Johnson win an 80-seat majority for the Conservatives in the House of Commons.
But Reform is this year set to contest all seats in England, Scotland and Wales on 4 July.
There are widespread fears among Conservative MPs that Reform’s pledge to stand in nearly every parliamentary constituency will deliver a massive boost to Labour.
They have warned that Reform are likely to split the Right-wing vote in key seats and give a huge helping hand to Sir Keir Starmer’s bid for a House of Commons majority.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, Mr Tice said: ‘The reality is we are doing no deals with the Tories.
‘They have betrayed Britain, they have betrayed Brexit, they have betrayed their promise to reduce immigration.’
After a rocky start to the Tories’ election campaign since announcing the 4 July vote last week, the PM has seen little sign of his party eating into Labour ‘s huge poll lead
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After a rocky start to the Tories’ election campaign since announcing the 4 July vote last week, the PM has seen little sign of his party eating into Labour‘s huge poll lead.
The start of the campaign has seen Mr Sunak announce a revived form of national service, a tax break for pensioners, and a crackdown on ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees.
These have been viewed as part of the PM’s efforts to shore up his Right-wing vote and counter the threat of Reform, who are polling at around ten per cent support.
Mr Farage was quizzed about the prospect of Reform harming the Conservative cause in many parts of the country on The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots show.
He was grilled about the chances of MPs such as ex-Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a top Brexiteer, being ousted due to the impact of Reform standing in his seat.
Mr Farage admitted he and Sir Iain ‘should be in the same party together’.
But he added: ‘Do you know what? I got rid of Mrs May with the Brexit Party. I stood aside for Boris to help him win a massive majority.
‘What are they going to do back for me?’
Asked whether he was angling for a peerage or a knighthood from the Tories, Mr Farage replied: ‘No, no, no. I’ve turned all that rubbish down in the past.
‘I’m not asking them for anything other than I’ve done them some huge favours over the years as a party. Give me something back. We might have a conversation.’
Mr Farage also explained on the show why he chose not to stand as a Reform candidate on 4 July, as he blamed Mr Sunak’s decision to go to the polls much earlier than most had expected.
He said: ‘I had a plan, actually. I’ll let you in on a secret. I was going to launch tomorrow – I had a venue booked, I had it all ready to go.
‘But the problem is, you can’t win in a constituency – or it’s very difficult to win – without data.
‘It’s even harder to win when you’re Nigel Farage, because the other side will cheat.
‘There’ll be third party outside influencers, and I needed a really good run at this. And six weeks wasn’t enough.
‘I thought, well, rather than being stuck for six weeks in a constituency, why not travel around the country.
‘Not just supporting Reform candidates, but try and get a proper debate going.’