The Conservative Party has rejected the notion of entering into any pre-election agreement with Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, in exchange for refraining from standing as a candidate in the general election.
A spokesperson for the party emphasized, “We don’t do deals.”
This declaration follows calls from the Labour Party urging Downing Street to dismiss speculation surrounding Farage’s potential appointment as the UK’s ambassador to Washington.
The Conservative Party’s stance on this matter risks upsetting some of its backbenchers, who are growing increasingly concerned about the potential electoral impact of Reform UK on their re-election prospects.
Reports suggested that certain Conservative Members of Parliament had proposed offering Farage the US ambassadorship if he agreed not to take on a prominent role in Reform UK, the party he founded but does not lead. Alternatively, there were suggestions of potentially granting him a peerage.
Reform UK, led by Richard Tice, gained considerable traction in recent polls, with support reaching as high as 16%, just five points behind the Conservatives.
Despite Nigel Farage’s current less prominent role within the party, Tory strategists are worried about the prospect of his increased involvement in the upcoming election campaign.
Farage is yet to announce his plans for the election, as he is engaged in various lucrative media commitments, including roles with GB News and in the United States.
However, there has been speculation that he might consider standing as a candidate in Clacton, a seat previously held by UKIP, which he led at one point.
Brexit Party’s Electoral Strategy and Labour’s Criticism
In the lead-up to the 2019 election, the Brexit Party, formerly known as Reform, chose not to contest Conservative-held seats, a move widely seen as contributing to Boris Johnson’s electoral success.
The suggestion of appointing Farage as the ambassador to the US to keep him away from the election fray has drawn criticism from the Labour Party.
Jonathan Ashworth, the Shadow Paymaster General, had said Sunak “must rule out this dangerous and desperate deal that risks threatening international unity against Russian aggression and undermining vital support for Ukraine”.
Farage previously said the West should consider negotiations with Russia over Ukraine and is a noted supporter of Donald Trump, who has argued the same.
A Conservative spokesperson said Labour was “making things up”, calling the demand over Farage “a desperate attempt from Keir Starmer and Labour to distract voters from serious questions Angela Rayner must answer” over allegations the Labour deputy leader potentially broke the rules over capital gains tax, which she vehemently denies.
Asked if this meant Downing Street was ruling out both the specific idea of offering Farage the ambassadorial role, and any other sort of pre-election deal with him, the spokesperson said this was the case, adding, “We don’t do deals.”
Reform garnered 10% or above in some recent byelections, a performance that makes it unlikely to win a seat in the general election – with the potential exception of Farage – but sufficient to take enough votes from the Conservatives that they could lose more seats to other parties.
“Rishi Sunak’s weakness leaves him pandering to the extremists in his party. Rishi Sunak must put national interest before the Conservative party. No secret negotiations to keep the Farage wolf from the Tory door.”
Jonathan Ashworth
“If the prime minister refuses to publicly rule out such a desperate deal, it will be clearer than ever that Rishi Sunak is too weak to act in the national interest.”
Before the 2019 election, the Brexit party stood aside in Tory-held seats, notably helping Boris Johnson.
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