Reform UK leader says report of an election deal with Conservatives is ‘false’, but suggests only under their current leadership
Good morning. The Financial Times today has a good story that will renew speculation about the prospect of Reform UK and the Conservative party doing some sort of deal before the next general election. Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, has said the story is “false”. But a close reading of his “denial” suggests that his thinking on this topic is rather more nuanced than that word implies.
In their story, Anna Gross and Julie Steinberg say that Farage has told donors that he expects some sort of pact between the two main rightwing parties before the election. They say:
One donor said Farage told them he expected to do a deal with the Tories, whether it be a merger or an agreement on co-operation between the two parties, to ease Reform’s route to election victory.
The person added that the Reform leader said such a deal could only be done on his terms, in part because Farage felt betrayed after the pact he made with the Tories at the 2019 election.
