Farage retreats from every Tory seat

The Brexit Party is in retreat after Nigel Farage decided not to contest any Tory-held seats at the general election and hinted he could also give Boris Johnson a clear run at dozens of Labour marginals.

Farage bowed to immense pressure from within his own party to pull candidates from 317 constituencies after conceding that splitting the Leave vote would put Brexit at risk.

He then refused to rule out the possibility of standing down candidates in key target seats where the Brexit Party is the main obstacle to Tory gains.

Bookies immediately slashed the odds of a Tory majority on December 12.

Johnson welcomed the move, saying it was ‘‘a recognition that there’s only one way to get Brexit done, and that’s to vote for the Conservatives’’.

It means the Tories have a much better chance of retaining all 317 seats they won in 2017, leaving them just nine short of an overall majority. Up to 71 Leavevoting Labour and Lib Dem seats could also be within reach if the Brexit Party withdrew completely. Insiders said senior party figures would continue to press Farage to withdraw more candidates before Thursday’s deadline for nominations.

Farage now faces a battle to retain control of his party with individual candidates already approaching Tory rivals in other marginal seats asking for deals not to stand.

Some Brexit Party donors have also threatened to pull out unless Farage gives the Tories further help to win a majority by pulling out of seats that the Conservatives could win from Labour.

Farage, who claimed he turned down a peerage from the Tories, said he halved his candidate list to avoid a hung parliament in which Jeremy Corbyn could lead a Remain coalition to a second referendum, adding: ‘‘We absolutely have to put country before party.’’

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Farage says: ‘‘I have no great love for the Tories, but I can see that by giving Johnson half a chance we will prevent a second referendum.

‘‘To me, that is the single most important thing for Britain. No matter how it is achieved.’’

– Telegraph Group