Reform UK will not be standing any candidate in the upcoming Northern Ireland elections in a bid to unite the Unionist vote, Robert Jenrick told GB News.
The Reform MP, who sat down with The People's Channel reporter Dougie Beattie, explained Mr Farage would not be putting up any of its candidates to rival national parties despite popular support in the province.
"We don't have any plans to run candidates in Northern Ireland," Mr Jenrick told GB News. "We're a unionist party and the number one priority for Reform is to see Unionists elected in Northern Ireland.
"And for those who support the Unionist cause, here to find a way to work together – difficult though that might seem at times – so that we can ensure the most Unionist Members of Parliament in that crucial Parliament after the next General Election.
"If Reform can assist in any way, then Nigel and I will try to do so."
Mr Jenrick explained the party wants to send the message Reform is a Unionist party – and that Mr Farage believes the country to be "one United Kingdom".
The Newark MP continued: "It's incredibly important to us that we defend and protect the Union, and that will be one of the priorities of a future Reform Government."
However, Dougie claimed the strategic move risked diminishing their vote across the region – or even a Westminster seat at a later date.
Mr Jenrick sat down with GB News's Dougie Beattie
|GB NEWS
The "real problem" with Ireland, he said, lay with its open border with the EU, with Mr Jenrick belonging to the then Tory Government which pursued the framework's "immigration through the backdoor" policy.
As a result, immigrants have been able to cross into Northern Ireland after reaching the Republic of Ireland.
Belfast, in particular, has recently set the scene for a series of anti-migrant protests since 2023, including inflammatory protests back in the summer of 2024.
Mr Jenrick told the People's Channel: "I actually think there's a real present challenge here in Northern Ireland, with illegal migrants crossing the border largely undetected, and that is then putting massive pressure upon communities here.
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The next round of elections at Stormont will be held next year
|PA
"This is one of the reasons why immigration, particularly illegal migration, has become a very big political issue in Northern Ireland. To an extent, it wasn't not so long ago.
"And whilst Reform is not going to be standing candidates in Northern Ireland, we do want to see very robust policies on immigration in Northern Ireland and a Reform Government taking action to try to ensure that we protect people and communities in Northern Ireland."
Earlier this week, Mr Jenrick attended a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) dinner and then spent a day with party leader Gavin Robinson out in Belfast.
Meanwhile, fellow MP Danny Kruger attended the national conservative Traditional Unionist Voice's (TUV) annual conference and was even a guest speaker at the event – despite the party rivalling the DUP.
Ahead of the 2024 General Election, Reform whipped up an electoral pact with the TUV, with the political duo mutually agreeing to field candidates together across 14 of Northern Ireland's 18 constituencies.
TUV then enticed voters under joint Reform UK-TUV branding, leading to the party's leader, Jim Allister, becoming the sole TUV MP in Parliament.
While he refused the Reform whip, Mr Allister maintained he would back Reform policy across a number of key policy areas, including Brexit deals for Northern Ireland and immigration.
Previously, Mr Allister said it would be "negligent not to have made every effort to try and shape [Reform's] approach" to Brexit and Northern Ireland.
Mainstream British parties barely contest General Elections in Northern Ireland, with the Conservative Party peaking at 102,631 votes in 2010.
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