Politics

Nigel Farage defends decision not to contest Tory seats in general election



The Brexit Party leader has defended his decision not to contest Tory-held seats in the upcoming election, insisting he was putting “country before party”.

In an interview with BBC‘s Andrew Neil, Nigel Farage said his party were “tearing chunks” out of the Labour vote and stopping the Liberal Democrat “surge”. 

Mr Farage announced in November that his party would not contest the 317 seats the Conservatives won in 2017, in order to help Leave-supporting candidates win.

During the 30-minute interview, Mr Farage denied being marginalised at the general election.

Nigel Farage on Andrew Neil (BBC)

Mr Farage said: “I don’t think if you came with me and visited some of the Labour heartlands in the north you would think that and I also think that what we’ve done is have a very dramatic effect on this election.

“I think, number one, the decision, difficult decision, I took in 317 seats to stand down.

“What that’s done is that’s pole-axed the Liberal Democrats. They were going to win in south London down through Surrey, right out to the west of England they were going to win a lot of seats if we’d stood. And I knew that wasn’t the right thing to do.”

Mr Farage said his party was the challenger in Labour-Leave areas in next week’s poll.

It comes as three Brexit Party MEPs quit to support the Tories , saying the party will split the pro-Brexit vote.

Annunziata Rees-Mogg, Tory minister Jacob Rees-Mogg’s sister – said it was “tragic” that the Brexit Party “are now the very party risking Brexit”.



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