Nigel Farage has trashed talk of a potential Conservative Party return by reaffirming his Reform UK membership at their party conference in London.
In a speech where he was roundly cheered, the former Brexit Party leader danced a jig as he spoke to commenced a speech where he hit out at the incumbent Government.
Farage told the crowd he expects Labour to win the election with a majority, suggesting they “can’t do worse” than the Tories.
The GB News presenter appeared to have the door opened to him for a possible return with Tories such as Michael Fabricant suggesting party bosses should be “begging” him.
Nigel Farage has brushed off Tory return talks
PA / GB NEWS
Farage had other ideas as he shut down talk at the Reform UK conference.
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He said that Tory activists came across as a “lost tribe” at the Manchester Tory conference, adding they believe consigned to a comfortable defeat at the next general election.
“I’ve come this morning to bring you my decision (on whether to rejoin)”, he said.
“The very thought that I would rejoin a party who we, as the Brexit Party, helped in the most astonishing way.
“We did it within six weeks of launching by winning that European election in 2019 and getting rid of one of the worst British Prime Ministers in history in Theresa May.
Michael Fabricant is among the Tory MPs who called for Farage's return
GB NEWS“It’s very sweet of you prime minister, but the answer is no. I will not.
“My efforts and my work will be solidly behind Richard Tice and Reform UK, no doubt about that.”
Sunak had welcomed the idea of a potential reunion, telling GB News’ Christopher Hope: “I welcome lots of people who want to subscribe to our ideals, to our values.”
Not all Tories were receptive to the idea of Farage potentially rejoining, including Greg Hands MP, who cited his “repeated” campaigning for other parties in the past 30 years.
“I think he’s been most recently advocating voting for another political party. That is not consistent with being a member of the Conservative Party”, he said.
“I think he said he doesn’t want to see the Conservative Party succeed so I don’t think I would welcome him back.”
Farage criticised the party at the conference for failing to address the European Convention on Human Rights.
Sunak instead opted to focus on issues such as smoking, where he promised a crack down by incrementally increasing the legal age.
The Prime Minister’s press secretary said that “Rishi Sunak is a man in a hurry” – but the smoking ban will take at least four years to begin and the education changes a decade.
Asked then if the new plans were drawn up to pose challenges to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, a Conservative spokesman said Sunak had made the decisions because “they’re the right things to do”.
But he added: “If it puts them (Labour) in a difficult position, then that’s obviously nice, but it’s a secondary consideration.”