Nigel Farage today rejected a call for an electoral pact between Ukip and the Conservatives, saying: “No deals with the Tories: It’s war!”
The Ukip leader spoke out after Michael Fabricant, the Conservative vice-chairman in charge of campaigning, wrote a report for David Cameron detailing how a pact with the anti-EU party could save a score of marginal seats at the next general election.
Mr Fabricant said: “These steps have to be taken to stop the continued haemorrhage of Conservative votes.”
Hampstead and Kilburn in north London was among a string of seats listed where Mr Fabricant argues that Ukip split the Right-leaning vote, allowing Labour to win. The Tories polled 17,290 in the seat, just behind Labour’s 17,332. Ukip scored 408.
However, Mr Farage hit back by saying that Mr Cameron’s refusal to withdraw a 2006 comment that Ukip contained “closet racists” made any deal impossible.
Downing Street also slapped down Mr Fabricant’s plea. A source close to the PM said: “Michael Fabricant does a great job campaigning in by-elections but he doesn’t speak for the party on this issue.
“The safest way to protect Britain’s interest in Europe is to vote Conservative. That’s why we’ll have Conservative candidates in every seat at the next election.”
Ukip is hoping to perform well at this Thursday’s Rotherham by-election on the back of a row over a social services decision to remove foster children from a local couple who were members of the party.
The Prime Minister is to make a statement this afternoon to the Commons on the failure of last week’s EU summit to set a new seven-year budget.
It collapsed on Friday evening after Britain and some other countries insisted on cutting EU spending plans, leading to deadlock.
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Next month, Mr Cameron is to redefine his European policy by making a speech that is expected to promise a national referendum on which powers should be restored to Westminster from Brussels in future negotiations.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson appeared to change his stance on an EU referendum in an interview.
The Mayor, who previously backed a referendum on staying in or leaving the EU, said: “I certainly think that if there was to be a new treaty, for instance on a fiscal union or on a banking union or whatever, then it would be absolutely right to put that to the people. Whether you have an in/out referendum now, I can’t quite see why it would be necessary.”
