NIGEL Farage has reportedly been offered a last-minute pact by the Tories meaning the Brexit Party would target just 40 key seats in next month’s general election.
Boris Johnson is said to be willing to put up ‘paper candidates’ who won’t actively campaign in certain Labour constituencies in order to give the best chance to Brexit Party candidates.
The Daily Telegraph reports Farage wants Conservatives to step aside entirely but will come under intense pressure to do a deal before today’s 4pm deadline.
Yesterday, Farage publicly snubbed Tory offers to save Brexit by refusing to stand down candidates in Labour-held Tory targets.
Mr Farage’s battle-cry came after he vowed to stand down in 317 seats the Tories won last time.
The Brexiteer has been under pressure from Conservative Euro-sceptics to stand aside in hundreds of Labour seats.
But Mr Farage has refused to do so after the PM gave him “nothing” for helping out the first time around.
“I made a massive concession, they gave me nothing in return,” he said.
“Ive done everything I can do.
“In Labour constituencies in which the challenger is not and frankly never will be the con party, the challenger is the Brexit party. “And the only people now threatening to split the vote are the Conservative party.
Mr Farage told a rally of loyal party supporters at a boxing club in East London: “We are going to take on all the Remainers in this country.”
And he said he would refuse to bow down to “press intimidation”.
He claimed to need Brexit Party MPs in Parliament to hold Boris Johnson to account to rip up his Brexit deal and fight for a loose free trade deal instead with the bloc.
The Brexit party boss suggested earlier he might have to vote Conservative – as there’s no Brexit Party candidate in his area.
But he quickly clarified: “Given the way the Conservative party have behaved this week – I could not vote for them.”
“Boris did something I hope he sticks to,” he added. “If not, he’ll regret it.”
Mr Farage – who posed for pictures while throwing jabs at British heavyweight boxer Dereck Chisora – vowed to “teach Labour a lesson” for claiming the people didn’t know what they were voting for when they opted for Brexit in 2016.
And he again insisted he wouldn’t be bought off by the Tories, telling the crowd: “I am not for sale!”
Mr Farage, who is known to enjoy a pint down the pub when he can, told reporters this afternoon he hoped to have more time to drink after the election.
He said: “I am not doing enough of that at the moment. I am very worried about it. My unit count is below BMA levels. I must start becoming a health freak.”
