Arron Banks: Delusions of my former ally

NIGEL Farage was branded ‘delusional’ last night by a former close ally who warned the Brexit Party leader risks denying the Tories an election majority.

Millionaire Arron Banks, who co-founded the Leave.EU campaign, criticised Mr Farage’s decision to stand 600 candidates, and warned he would help ‘get Lib Dems elected’.

His comments came as a poll showed four out of five Brexit Party voters support a pact with the Tories to ensure the Leave vote isn’t split on December 12.

Mr Farage has demanded that Boris Johnson abandon his Brexit deal in return for an alliance, but has faced a backlash from donors and candidates, several of whom have quit in protest.

In an interview with the Mail, Mr Banks warned that his former ally would end up ‘getting Lib Dems elected’ by standing Brexit Party candidates in seats such as Winchester and Bath.

‘I think he is in a delusional position where he thinks he is going to win lots of seats. At the moment he is going to stop the Tories getting a majority.’ He added: ‘Our view is to get Brexit done because if you don’t get it done now or shortly after the election, it won’t happen.’

If the Tories don’t get a majority in five weeks, ‘Brexit will get dragged back into the swamp’, Mr Banks warned.

Yesterday Mr Farage denied he was ‘ Remain’s secret weapon’ by taking votes from the Tories.

Brushing off the latest resignations of Brexit Party candidates – Calum Walker in Dundee East and Paul Wood in Truro – Mr Farage said many candidates were ‘tired’ with Brexit.