Election: Nigel Farage told to target 20 heavy Leave seats to hold balance of power in case of hung parliament
NIGEL Farage has been told to ditch his plans to target 600 constituencies and focus on 20 heavy leave seats in the Brexit Party's election battle.
John Longworth, one of the party’s senior MEPs, told Mr Farage he should be “sensible” and ensure pro-Leave MPs return to Westminster.
BREX-SPLITS
If there is a hung Parliament, any seats won by Mr Farage's party could be crucial in delivering Boris Johnson a potential majority in the Commons.
The Brexiteer has called on Boris Johnson to form a pact for December’s vote, with Brexit Party chiefs suggesting they could deliver a “thundering majority”.
However, the PM has been keen to distance himself from the idea of an election deal - with No10 playing down the idea.
Mr Longworth told : “I think we ought to be targeted in terms of the number of seats that we decide to address.
“I can imagine that might be 20 or 30. They would be entirely winnable then if you poured all your resources into them.
“You probably would not get any more if you concentrated on the 600. But you would also get a better result for Brexit too.”
TORY PACT
Brexit Party chief Richard Tice said there were no plans to disregard the 600-seat strategy and has not ruled out standing against the Tories in Leave seats.
He told BBC Radio 4: “If necessary, it is not our preference”.
On a possible pact, Mr Tice said: “But the reality is the Conservatives failed three times to deliver Brexit and they clearly need our help.”
The reality is the Conservatives failed three times to deliver Brexit and they clearly need our help.
Richard Tice
The Brexiteer also said that his party’s offer to Mr Johnson was “generous”.
But Conservative figures have dismissed doing a deal, insisting they can storm to a victory in the polls alone.
STEP ASIDE
Tory Brexiteers have called on Mr Farage to step aside in Leave seats to allow Conservative candidates to have a clear run.
Conservative MP Nigel Evans told : "It would be madness for Farage to put resources into seats where Brexiteer MPs lose to Lib Dems or Labour Remain MPs.
It would be madness for Farage to put resources into seats where Brexiteer MPs lose to Lib Dems or Labour Remain MPs.
Nigel Evans
"I know he doesn’t like this deal but it’s way better than remaining in the EU which will not be revisited for more than a generation - and the Remainers will have won."
And in a huge blow for the Brexit Party’s hopes for an electoral pact, Tory MP Steve Baker ditched his call for one.
MOST READ IN POLITICS
The boss of the Brexit-backing ERG group told the HuffPost website: “A pre-Brexit pact with the Brexit Party won’t happen all the time Nigel Farage insists the Conservatives pursue no deal, which won’t happen.
“Boris will have to win without any arrangement.”
Mr Farage has lashed Bojo’s Brexit deal, branding it “appalling”.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.