Brexit Party row as Nigel Farage is slammed by Arron Banks for splitting Leave vote as he claims closest political ally just wants to star in TV debates
- Nigel Farage accused of risking Brexit by fielding Brexit Party candidates
- Arron Banks told this paper the tactic would split the Tory Leaver vote
- The pair worked together under the Leave.EU banner during 2016 referendum
Nigel Farage has been condemned by his closest political ally for threatening to wreck Boris Johnson’s Election hopes by fielding a Brexit Party candidate in every seat.
Arron Banks, who campaigned with Mr Farage under the Leave.EU banner during the 2016 referendum, told The Mail on Sunday that the Brexit Party leader was risking the entire project by splitting the Tory vote.
He accused Mr Farage of being a ‘dog in the manger’ about Mr Johnson’s EU deal because he wanted to feature in the TV debates between the party leaders.
Mr Farage infuriated Downing Street with Friday’s vow that his party would stand in seats across the country unless the Prime Minister scrapped the withdrawal agreement he struck with Brussels.
Nigel Farage has been accused of being a ‘dog in the manger’ about Mr Johnson’s EU deal because he wanted to feature in the TV debates between the party leaders
Mr Farage also threatened to write to every British household accusing the Tories of a ‘sell-out’.
Mr Johnson has flatly ruled out forming any pact with Mr Farage, even though Tory strategists fear that votes lost to Mr Farage in tight marginals could deny Conservatives an overall majority on December 12.
Mr Banks, who was also a key donor to Ukip when Mr Farage was leader, said: ‘He is being very dog in the manger about it. Like everything in life, what is the point of doing something if you can’t win?
‘I don’t think he will go through with his threat, but if he does, it is the wrong thing to do. He risks splitting the vote in some seats and letting a Lib Dem through the middle to win – a party which wants to cancel Brexit altogether.’
Happier times: Arron Banks campaigned with Mr Farage under the Leave.EU banner during the 2016 referendum, and was also a major donor to UKIP
Mr Banks believes it is better for the Tories to win a healthy majority in the Election so that MPs can pass Mr Johnson’s ‘imperfect’ agreement than risk staying in the EU for much longer.
He added: If Boris wins a decent majority, he will be in a position of strength to negotiate a good trade deal with the EU. I think Nigel is just playing the deck of cards he has in his hand because he wants to take part in the television debates. But I’m on the naughty step with Nigel. He knows I disagree with him on this.’
Mr Banks’s views were echoed by Catherine Blaiklock, the founder and first leader of the Brexit Party, who tweeted yesterday: ‘How can Boris cave into a public demand akin to blackmail. Step back and rethink. The deal offered is not perfect, but nothing is ever perfect. Help Boris win, step back and take the Marxists on, not the Tories.’
But Mr Farage remained defiant last night, telling the MoS: ‘I just want Brexit, and this is not it. It just kicks the can down the road for three years with conditions that mean we will never be free of EU rules. A reset makes sense’
But Mr Farage remained defiant last night, telling the MoS: ‘I just want Brexit, and this is not it. It just kicks the can down the road for three years with conditions that mean we will never be free of EU rules. A reset makes sense.’
Mr Farage used the Westminster launch of the Brexit Party’s Election campaign on Friday to give Mr Johnson two weeks to drop his withdrawal agreement, saying they could build an alliance in about 150 seats in Labour Leave areas in Wales, the Midlands and the North, where the Tories should stand aside.
Mr Farage said of Mr Johnson’s EU deal: ‘He is trying to sell a second-hand car. He has polished up the bonnet but actually underneath nothing has changed. This is Mrs May’s appalling surrender treaty.
If he decides he can go on selling this as Brexit, then good luck to him, because I think by the time December 12 comes along, the country will understand it is not Brexit and we will make sure of that.’
Mr Farage made his threat after Donald Trump told him during an LBC radio phone-in that Mr Farage and Mr Johnson would be ‘an unstoppable force’ if they linked up during the Election and could do ‘something terrific’.
But when asked about the prospect, Mr Johnson said: ‘I want to be very, very clear that voting for any other party than this Government, this Conservative Government… is basically tantamount to putting Jeremy Corbyn in.’
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