Brexit Party’s Nigel Farage offers British PM ‘no-deal’ election pact

The Brexit Party leader urged Boris Johnson to strike an agreement to stand jointly in favour of no deal as yet another UK national election looms

He took out newspaper ads setting out terms for a hard Brexit alliance to take on tactical voting among supporters of the pro-referendum parties

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Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage. Photo: DPA

Published: 8:40pm, 11 Sep 2019Updated: 9:33pm, 11 Sep 2019

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been publicly offered a non-aggression pact by Nigel Farage if he signs up fully to a no-deal departure from the EU and the Conservatives stand aside in more than 80 seats, amid signs the prime minister could be considering softer options for a deal with Brussels.

The Brexit Party leader urged the prime minister to strike an agreement to stand jointly in favour of no deal, at a time of increasing speculation that Johnson is revisiting ways of making a version of Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement work.

Former British prime minister Theresa May pictured in parliament last Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Johnson insists he is not proposing a Northern Ireland-only backstop, which EU leaders hope he could move towards, as that would not be acceptable to the Democratic Unionist party. However, the idea of an all-Ireland agrifood zone of regulatory alignment as part of the solution was discussed on Tuesday by Johnson and Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, as long as it did not extend to an all-Ireland customs area with a tariff border in the Irish Sea.

The idea would not be enough to satisfy Brussels that the backstop is no longer necessary, but the discussions were taken as a sign that Johnson is more focused than ever on finding solutions to the Irish border problem.

A spokesman for No 10 Downing Street said Johnson rejected the idea of an alliance with Farage, saying he “has been clear – no pact”.

Britain's current prime minister, Boris Johnson. Photo: Reuters