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Rishi Sunak shut down a deal with Nigel Farage after the reformist politician suggested they “have a conversation” before the election.
Farage has refrained from standing as a candidate for the Reform Party, which is led and funded by Richard Theis, but on Wednesday he extended an olive branch to Sunak in an interview with the Sun, telling him: “Give me something back. We can have a conversation.
In the 2019 elections, the Eurosceptic campaign rejected some of his party’s Brexit candidates in marginal seatsgiving Boris Johnson and the Conservatives a huge boost.
Sunak, however, rejected the idea on Wednesday, even as he made a huge push to win over voters tempted by reform with policies such as tax cuts for retirees and re-introduction of national service.
Asked if he would talk to Farage about a deal, Sunak said: “There will only be one of two people who will be prime minister: Keir Starmer or me. So the choice is a vote for anyone who is not a Conservative is a vote for Keir Starmer at No 10.”
Asked if that meant he was ruling out a deal with Farage, he said: “Yes.”
Sunak was speaking as he toured a military vehicle manufacturer in Honiton in Devon, where Conservative candidate Simon Jupp is running for a new seat with the Liberal Democrats, his likely rival. The Prime Minister was pressed by SC Group staff on how the national service plans would help support young people, with one woman telling him she was reserving judgment until she saw more details.
Another employee asked what Sunak was doing to help retirees who simply wanted support with living expenses or people who weren’t looking for an apprenticeship. The Prime Minister stated that Conservatives will reduce office taxes.
Sunak has spent part of the last week in Lib Dem-leaning seats in Buckinghamshire and the south west, despite announcing policies designed to win back reform voters who are usually more of a threat in Labor-facing seats in the north and Midlands.
Reform is estimated at around 12%, with most of its support coming from former Conservative voters who backed Johnson in 2019.
Any decision by Reform to drop candidates in marginal seats could be crucial for the Conservative Party defending constituencies.
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In his interview with the Sun, Farage dismissed the idea that he wanted a championship or honor as “rubbish”, but hinted that he wanted something else from the Conservatives.
He said: “I got rid of Mrs May with the Brexit Party. I stood aside for Boris to help him win a huge majority.
“What are they going to do for me?… I don’t want anything from them other than – I have done them enormous favors over the years as a party. Give me something back. We can have a conversation.
Farage said he mainly wants to focus on helping Donald Trump get elected in the US, but will help Tice in his campaign.
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