Sunak guidelines out coalition with Reform after Farage says he will not stand
Rishi Sunak has ruled out any election deals with Reform UK or a coalition if there is a hung parliament following the General Election.
This comes after Nigel Farage said he would not stand as a parliamentary candidate for Reform UK in the upcoming vote.
Reform UK – founded by Farage as the Brexit Party in 2018 and now led by Richard Tice – hopes to stand a candidate in every seat on the July 4 poll, which could seriously hamper Sunak’s chances of remaining in No10.
And when asked today if he could rule out deals or a potential coalition government with Reform UK, the PM said ‘of course I can rule that out’, LBC reports. ‘I’m not really focused on personalities elsewhere,’ he added.
He said his focus was ‘delivering for the country’ in the ‘an uncertain time’.
Rishi Sunak (pictured at the West William Distribution in Ilkeston, Derbyshire today) has ruled out a coalition or any deals with Reform UK if there is a hung parliament following the General Election
Nigel Farage (pictured) has said he would not stand as a parliamentary candidate for Reform UK in the in the General Election
Reform UK leader Richard Tice (pictured) has already repeatedly ruled out deals with the Tories, saying the Conservative Party ‘has to be punished for what it’s done to this country’
The PM said the question facing the country is who can build on economic stability and the ‘clear plan’ to deliver it.
Sunak said that the choice for those concerned about illegal immigration is between himself and Sir Keir Starmer as it will be one of them who will be in the top job after polling day.
No love will be lost between the Tories and Reform over the PM’s reticence to make a deal, as Tice has already repeatedly ruled it out, saying the Conservative Party ‘has to be punished for what it’s done to this country‘.
And last night he again indicated that he would not stand down his candidates, including recent recruit former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson, saying it was only his party ‘that can now save Britain’.
He said: ‘We’re ready for the General Election on July 4. Reform UK is the party with the common-sense policies.
‘But what a scene: the Prime Minister drenched in rain, drowned out by the boogie blaster of Steve Bray, no less, highlighting the utter incompetence of this Conservative government. The electorate have a clear choice, people know that the Tories have broken Britain, Labour and Starmergeddon will do what they always do which is bankrupt Britain.
‘It’s only Reform UK’s common-sense policies that can now save Britain.’
But many Tories fear Reform could put a real dent in Rishi Sunak’s hopes of a return to Downing Street come the election.
Nigel Farage said he was preparing to launch a campaign next week to stand as an MP before the Prime Minister announced the General Election date.
On Thursday morning, the GB News host announced in a statement that he would not stand as a Reform UK candidate in the upcoming election but that he will ‘do my bit to help’ the party in the UK campaign.
Mr Farage admitted the Prime Minister had ‘wrong-footed’ him by calling an election for July 4
Rishi Sunak and Leader of the Scottish Conservative party Douglas Ross visit the Port of Nigg on May 23
Rishi Sunak speaks with staff at the Global Energy Group facility at the Port of Nigg
Sunak said that the choice for those concerned about illegal immigration is between himself and Sir Keir Starmer (centre with Angela Rayner, left, and councillor Naushabah Khan, right, in in Gillingham today) as it will be one of them who will be in the top job after polling day
Appearing on GB News as a guest during his typical show slot on Thursday, he said: ‘I have always said that there will be a moment when I throw my hat in the ring fully into British politics. I’ve also said aged 60, I’ve got one more card to play and it’s about when I play it.
‘I had, to be honest with you, put in place some preparations to launch next week.
‘I wonder whether the Conservative Party found out about it. I think the sense of panic that we saw yesterday, the badly prepared speech, might perhaps have prompted it a little bit.’
Asked to clarify that he was referring to launching a campaign to stand as an MP, he confirmed saying: ‘Yes, absolutely.’
But Mr Farage admitted the Prime Minister had ‘wrong-footed’ him by calling an election for July 4. He said: ‘What I could not do in the space of six weeks… was to find a constituency from scratch and go around the country.’
He added he had not decided which constituency he would run in as of yet as there were ‘a variety of options’ which he felt he could have gone for.
Despite not running as a candidate, Mr Farage said he would campaign for Reform UK and stressed his support for party leader Richard Tice.
He told GB News: ‘Am I going to be campaigning? Yes. Am I backing Richard Tice? One hundred per cent… I am utterly committed to Reform.
‘I believe their agenda is the only one that can actually stop the sense of national decline that we’re in.’
There had been speculation that Reform UK’s honorary president could return to frontline politics for the national vote for which Rishi Sunak on Wednesday set the summer date.
But earlier on Thursday, Mr Farage said he would focus on getting Donald Trump re-elected rather than stand as a Reform UK candidate in the general election.
The arch Brexiteer also said he would ‘do my bit to help’ the party in the UK campaign, but that it was not the right time ‘to go any further than that’.
Ahead of the launch of Reform UK’s campaign on Thursday, Mr Farage said in a statement posted on X: ‘I have thought long and hard as to whether I should stand in the upcoming general election.
‘As honorary president of Reform UK, I am fully supportive of Richard Tice’s leadership and urge voters to put their trust in him and Lee Anderson.
‘I will do my bit to help in the campaign, but it is not the right time for me to go any further than that.
‘Important though the general election is, the contest in the United States of America on November 5 has huge global significance. A strong America as a close ally is vital for our peace and security. I intend to help with the grassroots campaign in the USA in any way that I can.
‘The choice between Labour and the Conservatives is uninspiring, and only Reform have the radical agenda that is needed to end decline in this country.’
The Prime Minister rocked up in Inverness this evening in a chartered aircraft. But the The Eastern Airways Jetstream 41 is a prop plane with no business or first class seating
Rishi Sunak visits the Port of Nigg on the campaign trail today in Inverness, Scotland
Mr Sunak speaks to members of the media during his tour at the Port of Nigg, which is one of Scotland’s most important energy industry facilities
Nigel Farage (pictured) announced that he would not stand as a Reform UK candidate in the upcoming election but that he will ‘do my bit to help’ the party in the UK campaign
Mr Farage is cancelling his GB News show to free up time for campaigning.
Reform UK leader Mr Tice, a multimillionaire former Tory donor, said on X: ‘Delighted to have Nigel’s help during the election campaign.
‘If you want change, you must vote for @reformparty-uk on July 4th.’
Mr Tice inherited the leadership of Reform UK, originally called the Brexit Party, from Mr Farage when he decided to step back from frontline politics in 2021 in the aftermath of Britain’s withdrawal from the EU.
The party is seeking to attract disillusioned Conservative voters, mainly over the issues of immigration and net zero.
Many Tories fear it could put a real dent in Mr Sunak’s hopes of a return to Downing Street come polling day.
They are likely to be relieved ex-Ukip leader Mr Farage has decided against taking on a more prominent role, as this could have massively boosted Reform’s prospects.
Tory former Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg previously said: ‘The fact that he’s not a candidate for an opposition party is inevitably helpful for the Conservatives.’
Mr Farage has unsuccessfully stood for Parliament several times, most recently in 2015.
In the 2019 election, he withdrew Brexit Party candidates in Conservative-held seats, a move that is thought to have contributed to Boris Johnson’s victory.
Mr Anderson, the former Tory deputy chairman, is the only current Reform UK MP following his defection from the Conservatives.
At Reform’s election launch event, former MEP Ben Habib appeared to take a coded dig at Mr Farage’s decision not to stand.
Mr Habib, who is standing in Wellingborough, said: ‘For any political movement to succeed, it needs a leader who is prepared to absolutely stay the distance and make the fight.’
He said Mr Tice ‘has the moral courage not to vacate either when the going gets tough, or when it might suit him’.
Asked if he was referencing Mr Farage, Mr Habib said: ‘You interpret (my comment) as you see fit. In any walk of life, you have to stay the distance.’
