Reform wouldn’t take Tory reject, Farage says as he calls for voters who think he’s a crook to get rid of him
Nigel Farage has said he would not accept former Conservative cabinet minister Grant Shapps if he tried to join Reform after he was rejected as the Conservative candidate.
The Reform England leader claimed that if the former defense secretary approached him about a role in the party “Reform would not take him up”.
It emerged this week that Mr Shapps was blocked from standing as a Conservative candidate at the next general election. The veteran Tory lost the seat of Welwyn Hatfield to Labor in 2024 by 3,799 seats.
Farage’s party has also welcomed former cabinet ministers Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman, among a number of Conservative Party defectors in recent years.
In an interview with TelegramMr Farage claimed “several” other former Conservatives wanted to have private conversations with him but were told: “I’m busy”.
The Conservatives and Labor have refused to field candidates in the Clacton by-election triggered by Mr Farage, who faces intense scrutiny over his finances and supporters. This move was described as a “desperate display” by his opponents.
Instead he will face a record 33 rival candidates, leaving joke candidate Count Binface and actor-turned-politician Laurence Fox as his main rivals.
But he insisted the fight for the Essex seat was not a “farce” and was putting itself to a public vote.
“And if these voters really think I’m a fraud or a bad guy, they can get rid of me,” he added.
The parliamentary standards watchdog is currently investigating whether Mr Farage should have declared a £5 million gift from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne before becoming an MP. The investigation was later expanded to look at whether he should have asked his friend and convicted criminal George Cottrell to declare support.
When challenged about the scandals, he said: “I have already been judged absolutely guilty by the liberal establishment.”
But he added: “Well, maybe I should have filled out a piece of paper. If this is the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life – not filling out a form – I’d say it wasn’t that bad.”
He claims that his lawyers informed him that no statement was required.
He insisted: “I didn’t break the law. I didn’t avoid taxes. I didn’t misuse public money. I didn’t buy a caravan. My parliamentary expenses? I barely claimed a penny. I don’t need it. I have outside income.”
The 62-year-old, who has called for increased security following the recent murder of Reform’s immigration and justice spokesperson Ann Widdecombe, also complained that “costs and bills have gone through the roof” as he increased security measures for those close to him.
“I will live with increasing dangers until the day I die,” he said Telegram.
This week a woman crashed his car just seconds after rolling down her window to curse at Mr Farage on his campaign trail in Clacton.
The Vauxhall driver appeared to swear at the Reform leader before running into the back of a BMW stopped at a red light.
Posting the footage on X, he said: “This woman swore at me and then crashed her own car. Call it instant karma!”
Mr Farage was doused with a banana milkshake from McDonald’s after announcing he would stand for election in the constituency outside a pub in Clacton in 2024.
