Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Farage withdraws Brexit threat to prime minister Johnson

Populist Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage on Monday (11) withdrew his threat to challenge the governing Conservatives at every seat in next month's general election, in a boost for prime minister Boris Johnson.

Farage, a leading force behind the movement to leave the EU, had faced growing criticism that his party could split the eurosceptic vote on December 12, allowing pro-EU parties to seize a working majority and hold a second referendum on Brexit.


Instead, he vowed to contest hundreds of seats held by pro-European parties and the main opposition Labour Party, including those that backed "Leave" in the 2016 referendum -- which could still see him take votes from Johnson's Tories.

"The Brexit Party will not contest the 317 seats the Conservatives won at the last election," Farage said on the campaign trail in Hartlepool, northeast England, a Labour-held constituency that voted nearly 70 percent for Brexit.

"(It) prevents a second referendum from happening and that to me I think right now is the single most important thing," he added to rapturous applause from Brexit Party supporters.

- 'A Leave alliance' -

The former leader of the UK Independence Party initially promised to field 600 candidates unless Johnson agreed to abandon the divorce terms he hammered out with Brussels last month.

Farage said the deal, which has yet to be ratified by parliament, would deliver "Brexit in name only". But the prime minister refused to withdraw the deal, forcing Farage to back down.

By ignoring Tory-held seats and promising to target Labour areas which voted for Brexit, he is seeking to capitalise on disillusionment with the opposition party's nuanced stance on the issue.

Labour has promised to negotiate a softer Brexit deal with the EU and then hold a second referendum -- a call backed by many smaller parties in the House of Commons -- with the option of staying in the EU on the ballot.

Johnson welcomed Farage's move, saying: "I'm glad that there's a recognition that there's only one way to get Brexit done and that's to vote for the Conservatives."

- 'I'm with Nigel' -

Farage was speaking as he campaigned in Hartlepool, a long-time working-class Labour area now being contested by Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice.

Labour's Mike Hill won the seat at the last election in 2017 with a majority of 7,650.

It was formerly represented by ex-prime minister Tony Blair's chief spin doctor-turned-EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson and is no stranger to electoral firsts.

In 2002, Hartlepool's first directly elected mayor was a man dressed in the monkey suit costume of the local football club. He campaigned on a promise of free bananas for schoolchildren.

Property tycoon Tice insisted he will not splinter the eurosceptic vote because the Tories "end up basically being a paper candidate" in constituencies they have not won for years.

"The Brexit party has basically held the Tories to account since we launched," he told AFP of their election strategy.

At the rally, Pat Stamper, 81, a former Labour voter said: "I'm with Nigel all the way. It's the only way to get out of the EU."

Sara Hobolt, a political expert at the London School of Economics, said the decision to reduce Brexit party candidates was a boost for Johnson.

"This makes a Tory majority much more likely," she tweeted.

- Challenge remains -

The Conservatives won 317 out of 650 seats at the 2017 election but go into the vote defending only 298, after some MPs were expelled and others defected due to disagreements over Brexit.

Farage's decision could help the ruling party retain the most marginal of these seats.

But these alone are not enough to govern and the Conservatives could be forced to seek parliamentary alliances.

After 2017, the Tories formed an alliance with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionists (DUP) to stay in power.

But the DUP is now vehemently opposed to Johnson's Brexit deal, fearing its implications for the British-ruled province.

Johnson himself is also aiming for Labour-held seats to boost his numbers.

In areas where Labour and the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats are strong, the Brexit party "is more likely to take votes from the Conservatives than Labour," said Tim Bale, from Queen Mary University of London.

Labour accused Farage and Johnson of cooking up an alliance that threatened to "sell out our country" and pave the way for a post-Brexit trade deal that would open the state-run health service to US drugs firms.

"We urge voters to reject this Thatcherite 1980s tribute act, which would lead to more savage Tory attacks on working class communities," said Labour chairman Ian Lavery.

More For You

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

THE Dalai Lama said on Saturday (5) he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, two decades longer than his previous prediction, following his assurance to followers that he would reincarnate as the spiritual head of the faith upon his death.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday (6), and as China insists it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama told Reuters in December he might live to 110.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
  • Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
  • High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
  • Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria

Possible heatwave to return by mid-July

The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.

June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.

Keep ReadingShow less
Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE is now investigating more than 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects, following years of public criticism and institutional failings in tackling child sexual exploitation.

A new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has revealed the force has made “significant improvements” in dealing with group-based sexual abuse and related crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less