'Ludicrous': Farage denies reports he expects election deal with Tories to pave Reform's path to Downing Street
The Financial Times reported that Mr Farage had told donors he would do a deal with the Tories in order to help his party win the next General Election
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has rubbished reports he told donors he expects the party to do an election deal with the Conservatives to clear his path to Downing Street.
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Mr Farage's party is currently leaps and bounds in front of rivals in opinion polls, but the Financial Times reported on Tuesday that he had backed plans to do a deal with Kemi Badenoch's Tories in order to secure a victory.
A donor to the right-wing outfit told the Financial Times that the deal could either be a merger to create a new mega-party - or an agreement not to stand against each other.
In response, the Reform leader said: "After 14 years of dishonesty & lies they should never be forgiven. The idea I’d work with them is ludicrous.
"They betrayed my trust in 2019 & we will ensure they cease to be a national party in May."
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A false story in the FT tonight claims Reform would do a deal with the Tories.
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) December 2, 2025
After 14 years of dishonesty & lies they should never be forgiven. The idea I’d work with them is ludicrous.
They betrayed my trust in 2019 & we will ensure they cease to be a national party in May.
The reports had suggested cooperation could see a similar pact to the one that Boris Johnson's Tories and Farage's Brexit Party struck in 2019.
The agreement saw the Brexit Party, a predecessor to Reform UK, stand down in Tory-held seats and allowed Johnson to sweep to an 80-seat majority at the December General Election.
But the Tories too dismissed the reports - taking shots at Reforms plans on welfare spending and policies on Russia.
A Conservative Party spokesperson told LBC: “Under Kemi Badenoch’s leadership the Conservatives will not be considering any deals or pacts.
"Reform want higher welfare spending and to cosy up to Putin. Only the Conservatives have the team, the plan, and the backbone to deliver.”
Another Farage acolyte told the FT that he had branded a Tory-Reform pact as "inevitable".
But the donor suggested that Farage would only agree such a pledge on his own terms.
The Tories are currently languishing on 17 per cent in most opinion polls, and have seen several high-profile figures defect to Reform in recent weeks.
On Monday, three former Tory MPs who lost their seats at last year's General Election announced they had joined Reform.
Former Tory Deputy Chairman Jonathan Gullis, who represented Stoke-on-Trent North, Lia Nici, who served as Grimsby MP, and former Bolton West Tory MP Chris Green, all joined “on their own accord online”, the source said.
The three defections are the first high-profile defections since Danny Kruger, who sits for East Wiltshire, left the Tories to Reform in September.
Announcing the defections, Reform party source said: “The Conservative Party is dead. Only Reform can beat Labour at the next election as the polls show time and time again.”
Confirming his defection on Facebook, Mr Gullis wrote: “Today, I am pleased to be joining Reform UK. Leaving the Conservative Party after 18 years is not a decision I have taken lightly. Over time, I have watched a party I once believed in lose touch with the people it was meant to serve.
“From failing to control both legal and illegal migration to pursuing a net zero agenda that has seen a rise in our household energy bills and put jobs in Stoke-on-Trent’s world-famous ceramics sector at risk, the Conservative Party has understandably lost the trust of the British people.”