I won’t vote for Tories, says Nigel Farage

Brexity party leader Nigel Farage has been forced to deny that he would vote Conservative at the December 12 election.

Dereck Chisora shapes up to Nigel Farage at the Gator ABC Boxing Club in Ilford, east London, on Wednesday. Picture: AFP

Nigel Farage has been forced to deny that he would vote Conservative at the general election even as he refused to pull his Brexit Party candidates out of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s top target seats.

Mr Farage’s decision to pull 317 Brexit Party candidates from Tory-held seats this week means that he cannot vote for his own party in his Orpington constituency in Kent.

Asked whether he would vote Tory, Mr Farage said: “I want to see the manifesto. Let me see what is in the manifesto.”

Hours later, he said he “could not vote for them”, blaming Mr Johnson’s refusal to enter into an electoral pact with the Brexit Party. With the Tories being the only other avowedly Leave ­option on the ballot paper, it is not clear who’ll receive Mr Farage’s backing on December 12.

He also promised to hand over potentially thousands of pounds to aggrieved former candidates who were told on Monday that they would no longer be standing at this election.

During a punchy Brexit Party campaign event in a boxing gym in Ilford, Essex, Mr Farage ­accused Mr Johnson of risking Brexit by refusing to pull out of seats in favour of Mr Farage’s party. The Brexit Party argues that it can pick up seats in Labour Leave areas where voters will never back the Tories.

Mr Farage also rejected calls for him to bow to pressure to pull out of Labour marginals, which the Tories need to win to secure a Commons majority.

Senior Conservatives have warned Mr Farage that he will be held personally responsible if a hung parliament means Brexit does not go through.

The Times