Nigel Farage rages at Sunak over Brexit as Reform UK makes major announcement which could spell trouble for the Tories

Nigel Farage rages at Sunak over Brexit as Reform UK makes major announcement which could spell trouble for the Tories

Nigel Farage delivers a speech at the Reform UK press conference

GB News
Ben Chapman

By Ben Chapman


Published: 20/03/2023

- 15:23

Updated: 20/03/2023

- 15:59

The former Reform UK leader says parts of the UK have been 'hived off'

Nigel Farage said Brexit is yet to be completed as his ex-party, Reform UK, revealed they would be pitting candidates in every seat at the next general election.

The group, formerly known as the Brexit Party, will not be fronted by their former leader as he told a press conference that his role would be “advisory”.


Farage, Reform UK’s honorary president, said: “Brexit has not been completed, part of the UK has been hived off and is still being controlled by the European Commission.

“Vast swathes of industry that were looking forward to benefits, the fishing industry being one, have seen virtually nothing in their favour. Regulations have not been axed.

Nigel Farage speaks at Reform UK's press conference

Nigel Farage told a press conference that Brexit is yet to be completed

GB News

“And on the really big one, namely control of our borders, to only do we have what’s been happening in the English Channel but legal net migration last year was running at half a million.

“So three and a half years on, Brexit has not been completed.”

Speaking to GB News, Ann Widdecombe said the party will be putting candidates to stand “in every single seat” at the next general election.

She told Bev Turner and Andrew Pierce: “Last time the Brexit Party stood down candidates because the Conservatives were promising to get Brexit done. But they have ratted on that promise.

Ann Widdecombe speaks on GB News

Ann Widdecombe says the Conservatives 'are not conservative'

GB News

“And as far as we're concerned, we're not going to be bought off a second time - so we will be standing in every single seat.

"They are not Conservatives anymore. The current party is neither Conservative nor unionist and I am both a Conservative and a unionist and I see no future at all in the current party.”

In a defiant pledge, Widdecombe told GB News that Britain would be leaving the EU as “one UK” and will “not leave a part of it behind” as she made reference to Rishi Sunak’s Windsor Framework.

The ex-Conservative Minister said the “handcuffs” would remain on Northern Ireland as part of the deal with the EU, which has been struck in a bid to ease the movement of goods between Northern Ireland and the British mainland.

She said: “Northern Ireland has been comprehensively betrayed. We had the awful Theresa May deal with which Boris then tinkered and now Rishi has tinkered with tinkering and has told us things which are completely unsustainable, such as for example, he says Northern Ireland can refuse EU law if it doesn't like it. No, it can't.

“If you actually look at all the hedging about and qualification of what is called the Stormont brake, it can't do any such thing.

“And I do believe in the union and leaving Northern Ireland and the EU while the rest of us come out was not what was promised.”

Asked if the Prime Minister had struck a good deal, she said: “No. I don't deny that he's loosened the handcuffs a bit but the handcuffs are still on.

“And what worries me is I think there are quite a large number of Tory MPs, who are now putting party before the union.

“They can see a general election coming down the tracks; they don't want splits and divisions at this stage and therefore they are hoping that the problems will go away. They won’t.

“The time will come when Northern Ireland will decide it cannot serve two masters and will have to decide between the EU and the UK and yet it is supposed to be part of the UK and the Conservative manifesto promised in terms it promised these were its words.

“The UK will leave the European Union as one UK, not leave a part of it behind.”

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