, Columnist
Boris Johnson Still Has a Nigel Farage Problem
It’s good news for the PM that sitting Tories won’t have to worry about the Brexit Party, but he’ll still have to scrap with Farage for Labour seats.
Down but not quite out.
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A little over a week ago, Nigel Farage described the Brexit deal that U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson brought back from Brussels as a travesty and a betrayal of the 2016 referendum. He threatened to stand Brexit Party candidates in 600 constituencies against the Conservative Party in the forthcoming general election if Johnson didn’t repudiate his own agreement.
On Monday, Farage reversed course and the Conservatives cheered, as the threat of splitting the pro-Brexit vote appeared to diminish. Yet the reality of the Tory gain is less than clear cut.