Nigel Farage hints he is open to election deal with Sunak but demands 'something in return'

The ex-Ukip MEP pointed to “huge favours” he believed he handed to the Tories in the past.

However, Farage demanded the Prime Minister “give something back” to get a deal over the line.

He rejected the suggestion that a peerage could steer him away from challenging the Tories, adding: “I’ve turned all that rubbish down in the past.”

Speaking to The Sun, Farage said: “Do you know what? I got rid of Mrs May with the Brexit Party.

“I stood aside for Boris to help him win a massive majority. What are they going to do back for me?”

He continued: “I'm not asking them for anything other than I've done them some huge favours over the years as a party.

“Give me something back. We might have a conversation.”

Farage stood down 317 candidates in Tory-held seats ahead of the 2019 General Election.

Boris Johnson led the Conservative Party to its largest majority since 1987, returning 365 MPs to the House of Commons.

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The move is thought to have had a profound impact on the election race, with Conservative candidates receiving a greater swing compared to seats where the Brexit Party were standing.

Despite Farage’s recent comments, Reform UK leader Richard Tice previously ruled out agreeing a deal with the Conservatives.

He said: “Tory MPs deserve to face redundancy for their woeful performance.”

However, Reform UK MP Lee Anderson independently committed himself to a non-aggression pact with a number of close former colleagues.

Farage ruled out standing in his eighth Westminster race last week after being stumped by Sunak’s snap poll announcement.

The 60-year-old came agonisingly close to making a breakthrough in 2015, falling just 2,817 votes short of becoming the MP for Thanet South.

Farage revealed he was planning to declare his candidacy tomorrow but feared a six-week campaign would cut his Commons ambitions short.

He said: “I had a plan, actually. I'll let you in on a secret. I was going to launch tomorrow - I had a venue booked, I had it all ready to go.

“But the problem is, you can't win in a constituency - or it's very difficult to win - without data.

“It's even harder to win when you're Nigel Farage, because the other side will cheat.

“There'll be third-party outside influencers, and I needed a really good run at this. And six weeks wasn't enough.

“I thought, well, rather than being stuck for six weeks in a constituency, why not travel around the country?

“Not just supporting Reform candidates, but try and get a proper debate going.”

Farage continued to pile the pressure on the Prime Minister last night and is taking an active role in campaigning in dozens of seats across the UK.

He posted a mocked-up map of the English Channel last night.

Accompanying the post, Farage wrote: “Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives have allowed in 125,000 migrants on nearly 4,000 boats since 2018.

“But whatever you do, please don't use the word 'invasion'.”

Reform UK is unlikely to return any MPs when polls open on July 4.

However, the populist party is expected to have a destructive impact on the Tories.

Analysis shared with GB News by JL Partners suggested Reform UK could cost Conservative candidates swathes of seats with majorities exceeding 20,000.

A recent YouGov poll suggested Reform UK’s support stands at 12 per cent, marginally below Ukip’s 2015 vote share.

The Conservative Party looks set for a wipeout defeat, trailing Labour by 27 per cent.

Reform UK was also handed a fresh boost earlier this week when outgoing Telford MP Lucy Allan quit the Tories to endorse the populist party’s candidate.