Nigel Farage today hinted he’s open to a general election deal with the Tories as Rishi Sunak faces a wipeout on 4 July.
The ex-UKIP leader, who is now honorary president of Reform UK, suggested he and the Conservatives ‘might have a conversation’ ahead of polling day.
Mr Farage pointed to ‘huge favours’ he had done for the Tories in the past and demanded the Prime Minister ‘give me something back’.
But he 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’.
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 10 per cent support.
Nigel Farage hinted he’s open to a general election deal with the Tories as Rishi Sunak faces a wipeout on 4 July
After a rocky start to the Tories’ election campaign since announcing the 4 July vote last week, the PM, pictured today, has seen little sign of his party eating into Labour ‘s huge poll lead
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.
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.’
Ahead of the 2019 general election, Mr Farage’s Brexit Party – the predecessor of Reform – agreed not to stand in Conservative-held seats.
This has been credited with helping former PM Boris Johnson win his 80-seat majority in the Commons.
Richard Tice, the leader of Reform, has previously ruled out agreeing a deal with the Conservatives ahead of this year’s general election.
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.’
Watch the full interview with Nigel Farage on YouTube.