Farage’s ‘broad coalition’ vow prompts speculation over Restore pact

Nigel Farage has prompted speculation he will do a deal with Restore Britain after vowing to build a “broad coalition” that unites the Right.

On Sunday morning, Rupert Lowe, leader of Restore Britain, told Mr Farage they needed to work together to bring about a “patriotic government” at the next election.

But Mr Lowe said he would only agree to a pact if Mr Farage agreed to five policies, including mass deportations, a ban on the burka, and a referendum on the death penalty.

He also demanded that former Conservative ministers such as Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman be excluded from any Reform-Restore cabinet.

Responding on Sunday evening, Mr Farage said he wanted the support of people from other parties to defeat the Left, as long as they shared his commitment to restoring Britain’s borders.

But he stood by his front-benchers, saying: “I will never turn my back on my team.”

Election ‘a binary choice’

Mr Farage said the next election would be a “binary choice between Reform UK and Labour”.

“Patriotic voters believe in many of the same things, but only one party truly has the possibility of delivering change,” he said.

“To deliver that change, I understand Reform UK will need the support of people from other parties, as well as millions who have never voted before. That is the broad coalition I am building.

“My previous history in politics has also shown that I am always prepared to put country before party, as I did in 2019. But I will never turn my back on my team.”

Mr Lowe has been a thorn in Mr Farage’s side for 18 months after quitting Reform UK and setting up his own party.

In the aftermath of his suspension, Mr Farage said there was “no way back” for Mr Lowe and described his push for mass deportations of illegal immigrants as “grave, dark and dangerous language”.

In recent months Restore has eaten into Reform’s support in local elections while Mr Farage’s party has fallen behind Labour in the polls.

Last week, Restore won 9 per cent of first-preference votes in the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election, ahead of the Conservatives.

Donation scandal

Mr Lowe’s offer comes at a time when Reform faces fresh allegations over Mr Farage’s failure to declare donations made to him in the year before he was elected as an MP.

The Sunday Times has reported that Mr Farage agreed to return as leader of Reform UK months before the 2024 general election.

Under the agreement, Reform was to repay £1m in outstanding loans to a company owned by Richard Tice, the then leader, upon Mr Farage taking over.

The revelations follow Mr Farage’s previous insistence that he had no intention of returning to politics until June 2024, after the election was called.

MPs must declare any benefit connected to their political activities for 12 months before their election.

Mr Farage said he did not declare a £5m gift from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne or in-kind benefits from George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster, because for the 12 months before the election he was not a politician.

A Reform spokesman said that he only made the agreement to keep his options open after looking into which loans might have to be repaid if he were to come back.

He then decided he would not be returning as leader, a decision he reversed after Rishi Sunak called the election.

In an interview with The Telegraph last year, Mr Lowe said Reform UK had been hampered by “the cult of Nigel” adding: “If Nigel were to be PM, he would let us down.”

Speaking to the Daily T, he also described Mr Farage as “running a cult” and a “narcissist”.

His new party has done well in a number of local elections, raising fears that by splitting the Right-wing vote he could make it easier for Left-wing parties to get elected.

But it will not contest the upcoming by-election in Clacton triggered by Mr Farage, who resigned as an MP and claimed a sleaze investigation was being used as a political tool against him.

Labour, the Tories, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and Restore have all refused to stand against Mr Farage, whose competition will come from novelty candidates and minor parties.

Lowe’s message for Farage

In a video posted on X, Mr Lowe said: “Nigel, my message is simple. If you are prepared to work together around serious policies, serious reform, and serious government, then so are we.

“Millions of British people deserve a patriotic government to put our national interest before any personal differences that you and I may have…

“Now is the time to put our differences aside and cooperate for the good of the country that we all love.”

The Restore leader said the “patriotic Right” was hopelessly divided, adding: “If we can agree on five fundamental principles, then I believe we can, should and must find a way of working together in some form.”

The first principle is to restore Britain’s borders, including mass deportations, which Mr Farage has previously described as a “political impossibility”.

“Ending mass immigration is not enough, the hour is just too late for that,” said Mr Lowe. “It must be reversed.”

The Restore leader said that every illegal migrant must be deported, including women and children. And legal migrants must also be sent back to their country if they do not speak English, refuse to work, live in social housing and “hate our way of life”. “Millions must go,” he said.

Second, he called for the reversal of the “Islamification of Britain” with a ban on the burka, halal (and kosher) meat, cousin marriage and mass public prayer. He said: “Britain is a Christian country and we must ensure it remains that way.”

Third, he demanded a referendum on restoring the death penalty so that people such as Axel Rudakubana, the Southport killer, can be executed.

Fourth, he called for deep cuts to welfare and other public spending to make the UK “self-sufficient” again.

Finally, to restore faith in politics, he demanded that anyone who served as a Tory minister should be refused a place in any future Reform-Restore cabinet.

“That trust will not be restored by recycling the same ministers, advisers and thinking that created today’s problems,” he said.

“Former Conservative ministers who failed our country and our people in so many appalling ways must not be part of any future cabinet. They had their chance and they failed us all.”

One Reform MP, Andrew Rosindell, who defected from the Conservatives in January, backed the call to unite the Right and said he would welcome Mr Lowe back to the fold.

Mr Rosindell told the Camilla Tominey Show on GB News: “The next election is going to be very difficult because you could find that Labour, Liberals, Greens, and goodness knows who else form some kind of Left-wing alliance.

“We do have to somehow bring the right of centre in British politics together. Now, what happens with Restore and with Rupert is a matter for Rupert to talk to Nigel about.

“What I would say to him and to people across the country is that we need a change of government next time and not another Left-wing government.”

He added: “A lot of what he [Lowe] says will resonate with Reform voters and with British people…

“A lot of what Rupert’s saying is correct, but we need to bring things together to get this Government out to actually do anything.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]