FARAGE BLUE-TURN
Tories urge Nigel Farage to give up MORE seats & keep Corbyn out of No10 as Brexit Party pulls out of 317 constituencies
TORY ministers are urging Nigel Farage to pull his Brexit Party out of more seats to keep Jeremy Corbyn out of NO10.
Nigel Farage today pulled Brexit Party candidates in 317 Tory-held seats from fighting the election - giving Boris Johnson a clear chance at a majority.
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Giving in to huge pressure, the Brexit Party boss insisted he will launch all out war on Labour instead, giving the Conservatives who won a seat in 2017 a free run.
But one cabinet minister has now said the party should pull out of other Labour marginals to give the Tories a chance of claiming Leave-backing Labour heartlands.
The minister told The Times: "Farage accepts that a vote for the Brexit Party is a vote for Corbyn and a second referendum.
"But he hasn’t pulled out of the seats we need to win to defeat Corbyn and deliver Brexit."
FARAGE 'OFFERED PEERAGE' FOR SUPPORT
Farage today claimed Boris Johnson tried to bribe him with a peerage before standing down more than 300 Brexit Party candidates from Tory-held seats in next month's general election.
The Brexit Party boss told reporters this afternoon he was offered a peerage last week - but Tories claimed it was total rubbish.
He said: "I was offered one (a peerage) last Friday.
"Ridiculous – the thought they can buy me, a high-paid job; but I'm not interested, I don't want to know."
Farage said at a press conference this afternoon that denying Tories votes would lead to more Liberal Democrat MPs who would push a second referendum.
He said:"By giving Boris half a chance, our action prevents [that] from happening. That right now is the single most important thing."
Mr Farage said he'd been encouraged by Boris' vow last night not to extend the transition period past 2022 and hailed it as a "clear change of direction" from the PM.
"It sounds a bit more like the Brexit that we voted for," he added.
It comes as:
- The PM promised to rip up human rights laws persecuting our war heroes
- He ruled out extending the transition period beyond 2020 in what was seen as an olive branch to Mr Farage
- Labour vowed extra mental health care for kids
- Follow the action with our live blog
Bookies slashed the odds on a Tory majority following the announcement this lunchtime, which could change the face of the entire election.
But Boris Johnson warned today that he will still be short of a majority - and Mr Farage could deny him of that.
The PM said today: "We welcome Nigel Farage's recognition that another gridlocked hung Parliament is the greatest threat to getting Brexit done."
And he warned: "The Conservatives only need nine more seats to win a majority and leave by the end of January with a deal."
He said he had "absolutely not" given Mr Farage a deal to stand aside.
The news will be a sigh of relief for Boris Johnson, who feared that Mr Farage would split the Leave vote and deny him a much-needed majority to deliver Brexit.
But it could still divide the vote in the Labour heartlands the Tories are targeting - like Workington.
Boris needs to win at least nine more seats than the Tories sis in 2017 to get a majority, and today's news won't help them.
YouGov's Chris Curtis pointed out today: “Whilst this will help them in the seats they currently hold, the Brexit Party will still be standing in the seats the Conservative Party hopes to gain from Labour in order to gain a majority."
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What does Nigel Farage's move mean for Boris and Brexit?
- Nigel Farage pulling 317 candidates out gives Boris a much bigger chance at winning a majority
- The Brexit Party won't stand in areas where a Tory MP was elected in 2017, giving him a shot at getting all of those seats back on December 12
- It means there will be no splitting of the Leave vote between the Brexit Party and Tories - allowing Boris a free run to win
- But it still means the PM has a fight on his hands to get over the line and secure several more seats to get a majority
- The Brexit Party will still stand in the Labour seats Boris needs to win, and could give him a headache further down the line
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It comes after Mr Farage's ally Arron Banks revealed the first seats in his Brexiteer tactical voting app - and they all recommend Brits back the Tories.
It was claimed over the weekend that Tory chiefs had held secret talks with some of Mr Farage's team.
As part of a deal, Boris could go back to Brussels and broker an even harder Brexit deal, the Mail on Sunday claimed.
Boris Johnson says he only needs NINE more seats to win majority after Nigel Farage's 'election pact'
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