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‘It’s over’: Nigel Farage says General Election is a ‘foregone conclusion’ and ‘Labour have won’
28 May 2024, 11:36 | Updated: 28 May 2024, 14:03
Farage - 'Labour have won'
Nigel Farage has told LBC that the General Election is a ‘foregone conclusion’ as he claimed the Tories are no longer 'the opposition' to Labour.
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Speaking to LBC’s Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, the honorary president of Reform UK claimed that the General Election is already “done”.
Mr Farage said: “The election’s over. Labour have won, it’s a foregone conclusion. That’s done, it’s over.
“The question is, who is going to provide opposition? And the Conservative party will be in opposition but they won’t be the opposition.
“They hate each other, they’re split down the middle and what we need is a voice in there of genuine opposition and alternative. The Conservatives can’t provide that, Reform if they win seats in parliament can.
“If Rishi Sunak and others thought me not standing in a seat meant they'd get a free ride in the election, they're quite wrong".
Earlier on Tuesday, Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride told LBC: “I’ve got a very simple message around Reform and that is if you vote for Reform, you’re voting for Keir Starmer to walk through the doors of No 10.”
Watch again: Nick Ferrari is joined by Mel Stride | 28/05/24
It came after Telford MP Lucy Allan was suspended from the Conservative party on Monday after publicly throwing her support behind Reform UK’s candidate to be her successor.
Ms Allan said however she had quit the Conservatives in order to support Reform UK's Alan Adams in the seat as he would offer an alternative to "more of the same politics and more of the same politicians".
In a statement, Ms Allan said: "I have resigned from the Conservative Party to support Alan Adams to be Telford's next MP.
"I have known Alan for many years and he is genuinely the best person for the job. I want the best for Telford and I can't just let the Labour candidate have a walkover."
Read more: Sunak vows to bring back National Service for every 18-year-old if Tories win the general election
Meanwhile last week, Mr Farage confirmed that he would not be standing in the July 4 General Election.
In a statement, the former UKIP and Brexit Party leader, said he had "thought long and hard” as to whether he should stand, adding: "Important though the general election is, the contest in the United States of America on November 5 has huge global significance.
"A strong America as a close ally is vital for our peace and security. I intend to help with the grassroots campaign in the USA in any way that I can.”
Follow the LBC live General Election blog for all the twists and turns of the campaign train and listen live to LBC on Global Player, our official app
Reform party leader Richard Tice said however that Farage would still support their campaign as well as the US Presidential one and would be “getting the best of all worlds”.
On Tuesday, Mr Farage also repeated calls for the Prime Minister to debate him on immigration.
Asked by an LBC reporter what would be the incentive for Mr Sunak to debate him, he said: “Oh, he's very keen on debates, haven't you heard?! He wants to have six debates with Keir Starmer, when all I'm saying is have one with me.
“Many will say ‘why you, why should he debate you’, well there is a precedent for this. In 2014, Nick Clegg was the Deputy Prime Minister of the country and he challenged me - live on LBC - to a debate because he saw I was the leading voice for leaving the European Union.
“So Clegg and I did that debate and subsequently we did one with the BBC as well. If you can tell me somebody with a more prominent voice that has written, spoken more about the situation here, then please tell me who it is.
“If this is his flagship policy, and you really believe in it Mr Sunak, come and debate it with a person who's spent years studying it and campaigning on it, that's why I think he should do it."
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced last Thursday that the nation would be heading to the polls on July 4 as he confirmed a snap election.
Election campaigns quickly got underway following the announcement, with both Mr Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer beginning campaign trails the next day across the country.
But the Conservatives are facing an uphill battle to stay in government after Rishi Sunak pulled the election despite his party remaining 20 points behind the Labour Party in the polls.
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak’s campaign suffered a blow on Monday evening after it emerged that 121 business leaders had signed an open letter backing Labour in the election.
More than 120 senior executives signed the letter in a personal capacity, said “it is time for a change” after the British economy had “been beset by instability, stagnation, and a lack of long-term focus.”
