BORIS Johnson’s election hopes got a boost yesterday as it emerged that the Brexit Party has not put up candidates in a further 38 non-Tory-held seats.
It gives the Conservatives a clear run at Labour in three marginals and opened the way for them to run opposition parties close in another six.
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The Brexit Party will not contest Dudley North, where Labour has a majority of just 22, or Canterbury where the Tories trail by only 187.
And it is not standing in Lanark and Hamilton East, where the SNP has a 226 majority over the Tories and 550 people voted for Ukip in 2017.
It also will not contest Bristol North West — a bellwether seat the Tories held comfortably until the last election — or a further five Scottish seats where Conservatives trail Labour and the SNP by fewer than 4,000 votes.
Experts say the Tories only need nine seats more than they got in 2017 to win a majority.
It comes after leader Nigel Farage agreed the party would not take on 317 sitting Tory MPs. It’s not known why the party left the 38 seats uncontested.
Mr Farage suffered another blow yesterday as it emerged his candidate for Tory target Tynemouth in the North East of England lives in Australia.
Ed Punchard, 62, has been based in Freemantle, Perth, for the past 30 years.
He is in Britain campaigning and insists he will move back if elected
Mr Farage accused MEP Rupert Lowe, who pulled out of Dudley North at the last minute, of double-crossing him.
But Mr Lowe said there had been “no inducements” and he had discussed it with party chairman Richard Tice.
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