Nigel Farage has become “isolated” after sparking controversy with his comments on Southport and triggering a Tory block, it has been claimed.
Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride hit out at the Reform UK leader for his comments on the recent stabbing attack, stating there will be “no deal” between Farage and the Tories if he is elected party leader.
Farage said in a video posted on social media following the Southport incident: “I wonder whether the truth is being held from us, I don’t know.”
In an interview on Chopper’s Political Podcast with GB News, Stride said the remarks were “likely to lead to more police officers ending up getting in more trouble”, and has since been blocked by all six Conservative leadership candidates.
Mel Stride has criticised Nigel Farage and suggested the Reform UK leader could ‘put police officers at risk’
PA / GB News
Stride told GB News when asked about a possible deal with the Tories: “I made that very clear – no deals with Nigel Farage.
“He wants to destroy the Conservative Party, and this this is one of the things that he says reasonably frequently.”
Reacting to the row between the political figures, GB News host Emily Carver claimed Farage is now “isolated” by critics of his remarks on Southport, as well as any support he had from remaining Tory MPs.
Emily said: “It feels as though Nigel Farage is rather isolated at the moment, following the comments he made about sharing misinformation and adding to that conversation.
Mel Stride told GB News that there will be ‘no deals’ between the Tories and Farage
GB News
“I think the Conservatives probably were more close to him previously, or at least more supportive of him than before.”
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Offering his verdict on the row, political editor Christopher Hope admitted that Farage had “made missteps” in recent months which may have lost him the Tory support needed to secure a deal with Reform UK.
Christopher explained: “There were maybe two missteps over the election. The Putin remarks weren’t helpful, and that allowed the Tories to say he’s not patriotic.
“And more recently, those remarks post the Southport riots when he wondered whether the police are telling the truth from us.”
In defence of Farage, Christopher argued that in the view of the Reform leader, MPs “should call these things out and try and help the police say things more quickly”.
Emily Carver questioned if the Clacton MP is now ‘more isolated’ following the row with Stride
GB News
He added: “But equally, maybe as an MP, he can’t really take the positions he might have taken in the past. But I think he’s finding his way himself as an MP too.”
Nigel Farage has previously claimed he has “no interest” in joining the Conservative Party or striking a cross-party deal following his election success.
Defending his remarks on Southport, Farage recently told PA that his comments were “perfectly reasonable”.
He added: “They were very legitimate questions I was asking, and to conflate that with EDL (English Defence League) or anybody else, frankly, it’s desperate stuff.”