THE BREXIT Party could be set to pull most of their candidates from next month’s election as part of a pact with Boris Johnson.
According to reports over the weekend, close allies of Nigel Farage and the Prime Minister have met to discuss the December 12 poll, with the party leader coming under increasing pressure from other Brexiteers not to split the Eurosceptic vote.
The Brexit Party were the clear winners in May’s European elections, taking over 30% of the vote, but a YouGov poll published yesterday showed that their support had fallen to just 10%.
The secret talks were revealed by Arron Banks, formerly Farage’s closest political ally.
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Writing in the Mail on Sunday, he said: “A compromise has been proposed which would see Nigel ordering those of his candidates who simply cannot win to stand aside – but only on condition that various entirely realistic changes are made to the deal which Boris negotiated with Brussels”. He added: “The time for splitting hairs is over. It is now or never.
“It is time for Nigel and his supporters to be realistic. If he ploughs ahead and refuses to stand down his party’s candidates – the ones who stand no chance at all of winning – then he will help Corbyn form the next Government.
“If Brexit is lost because the vote is split, then Nigel will have destroyed what he has spent years working to achieve”.
That was echoed by former Labour MP Gisela Stuart, who was one of the chairs of the official Vote Leave campaign.
She said Farage’s Brexit Party could end up ushering in “a hung parliament, two more referendums, and possibly us not leaving at all”.
All political parties have until Thursday evening to register their candidates.
The Brexit Party have already lost three of their Scottish hopefuls in recent months.
Mark Nash was ditched by the party after The National uncovered a number of controversial blog posts about Islam.
Calum Walker, who had been the candidate in Dundee East, stood down saying he was now backing Johnson’s Brexit deal. He said: “Having the Brexit Party stand against the Conservatives will only split the Brexit vote. This runs the risk of allowing Labour propped up by the SNP into government. We should all back Boris and vote for [the Tories].”
Paul Aitken, the party’s candidate in East Renfrewshire has also stood down.
Louis Stedman-Bryce, the party’s only MEP in Scotland is expected to stand in Glasgow North East, where the incumbent Labour MP Paul Sweeney, holds a majority of just 242 over the SNP.
Aberdeenshire Councillor Sebastian Leslie is the party’s candidate in Gordon, currently held by Conservative Colin Clark.
Leslie – whose daughter is Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie – was kicked out of the Tories for refusing to pay his council tax.
His £1.3 million castle was seized last year following court action from a loan company battling to recover debts.
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