Eddie Mair repeatedly asks Nigel Farage why he's supporting a deal he "despises"
11 November 2019, 18:52
"The Brexit deal you despise is now the Brexit deal you're asking 317 constituencies to vote for," Eddie Mair said, repeatedly challenging Nigel Farage on his u-turn decision not to challenge Tory-held seats.
This comes after Nigel Farage announced today that the Brexit Party will not challenge Tory seats in 317 constituencies.
The leader of the Brexit Party insisted that last night Boris Johnson said the UK will negotiate a free trade deal along the lines of a Canada agreement and not accept political allignment - Nigel Farage said once he heard this he considered that this would start to "resemble Brexit."
"Is this deal Brexit or not?" asked Eddie.
Farage said that if Johnson amends the deal in the way he promised he would last night, then "we are heading firmly in the right direction."
Eddie pushed Farage to admit that this deal wasn't Brexit in his view.
"So you're saying to people in 317 constituencies we're withdrawing - if you want Brexit, vote for this party that isn't going to promise Brexit with this deal," said Eddie.
Nigel Farage repeated that if Boris Johnson keeps to his promise that there'll be no political allignment, then this is close to Brexit.
"Isn't the reality that your conversion last night is just a fig leaf to explain away changing of policy which many people told you last week that you should've changed?" asked Eddie.
Nigel said he was personally prepared to fight 600 seats and Eddie pointed out he wasn't personally prepared to fight one, after he chose not to stand, to which he said he was prepared to lead 600 seats.
He continued that he began to consider that in particular constituencies he may split the vote, leading to Liberal Democrats being elected.
Eddie asked why he has changed his mind now after he was warned last week.
"The Prime Minister said last night that he is changing direction and the decision became quite easy," Farage said.
