Nigel Farage not to field candidates against Conservative Party

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage announced that his party will not field candidates in 317 Conservative-held seats in the general elections scheduled on December 12. In a major boost to the prospects of the Conservative Party led by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Farage decision will ensure an intact pro-Brexit vote.

'Country before party'

“Now that the Prime Minister has said we will not extend the transition beyond 2020, and he will go for a Canada-style free trade deal without political alignment, I have decided to put country before party and not oppose Boris Johnson,” said Farage.

“This ensures that this general election will not result in a hung Parliament and second referendum. We will target Labour and Remainer MPs and get a voice in Parliament to make the PM keep his promises,” he added.

Nigel Farage, during the press conference, said that the party was optimistic on the impending Brexit as Boris Johnson signalled them a clear change in direction. “He said something that was important to me. He said we could negotiate a trade deal, a trade deal with no political alignment,” said Farage.

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British PM welcomes decision

Boris Johnson welcomed the decision of the Brexit Party and said that if they have another hung parliament, it would lead to two more “chaotic referendums” next year.

“We welcome Nigel Farage’s recognition that another gridlocked hung Parliament is the greatest threat to getting Brexit done,” tweeted Johnson. “The Conservatives only need 9 more seats to win a majority and leave by the end of January with a deal,” he added.

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Keeping intact pro-Brexit votes

The recent decision is a huge shift in the Brexit Party’s stance since they were threatening Conservatives to field their candidates in all the 650 seats. The earlier stance of Brexit Party could have boosted the chances of the Labours with a split in pro-Brexit votes. Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour Party vowed to renegotiate the deal with the European Union and hold another referendum for the voters to decide on the deal. 

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