Nigel Farage has dismissed the possibility of a political pact between Reform UK and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, despite calls from Conservative defector Nadine Dorries for unity on the right. Speaking on BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Farage said the public would “never, ever forgive” Johnson for his immigration policies, which he described as the “Boris wave” that allowed millions of people to enter the UK legally after Brexit.
Dorries, a former culture secretary who defected to Reform UK ahead of its conference, suggested in a Mail podcast that Johnson and Farage should “coexist for the sake of the country.” However, Farage rejected the idea, stating he did not “think that would really work somehow.” Reform UK's head of policy, Zia Yusuf, went further, calling Johnson “one of the worst prime ministers in British history” and accusing him of betraying Brexit voters.
Farage welcomed Dorries into Reform UK despite her support for Johnson, citing the need for experienced government figures. However, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the move, noting that Dorries was an architect of the Online Safety Act, which Reform UK opposes on free speech grounds. Labour chair Anna Turley also attacked Farage, saying he had “admitted he doesn’t have confidence that his team is capable of delivering a plan.”
Farage faced additional scrutiny over his tax arrangements, including the revelation that he had claimed to buy a house in Clacton when it was actually owned by his partner. He defended the arrangement, saying “the fact that she’s bought a house: why not?” When asked about his media earnings being routed through a company, potentially lowering his tax bill, Farage declined to publish his tax return, calling it “an intrusion too far.”
