Brexit Party to fight every British seat unless PM drops Withdrawal Agreement

Nigel Farage has thrown down a challenge to Boris Johnson insisting that if the Prime Minister does not drop his EU Withdrawal Agreement and form a "Leave alliance" the Brexit Party will field a candidate in every seat in Britain.

Launching the party's General Election campaign in Westminster, Mr Farage said that the PM's deal did not represent Brexit.

Mr Farage said that if the Tories did not agree to an alliance and abandon the deal he would make sure every household in the country was made aware it was a "sell out" of Brexit.

The Brexit Party leader said that if Mr Johnson did not agree to his terms: "We will contest every single seat in England, Scotland and Wales."

He added: "I say to Boris Johnson – drop the deal."

The Brexit Party leader added: "Of course, I'm open and flexible to local exceptions and already we are in communication with a number of MPs who are prepared to renounce the Withdrawal Agreement, to renounce the deal, and they themselves to stand on a ticket of a genuine free trade agreement or leave on WTO terms.

"And of course in those cases where MPs say this, we will view them as our friends and not as our enemies.

"But that is not the real deal. The real deal is a Leave alliance that wins a big majority in Parliament. The real deal is a Leave alliance that delivers a genuine Brexit."

The comments came after after US President Donald Trump appeared to call for an electoral pact between Mr Farage and Boris Johnson, saying the pair could become an "unstoppable force".

A Number 10 spokesman said the Prime Minister had not spoken to the US President about his Brexit deal which was "agreed after they were last in touch".

"The PM's deal takes back control of our money, laws and border and allows us to do trade deals with any country we chose – including the US," he said.

Ahead of Mr Farage's comments, Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick said: "We are not interested in doing any pacts with the Brexit Party or indeed with anybody else."

The Communities Secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We are in this to win it."

While Mr Trump praised Mr Johnson, he criticised his Brexit deal, claiming it hinders trade with the US.

"To be honest with you... under certain aspects of the deal... you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't trade," he said.

"We can't make a trade deal with the UK because I think we can do many times the numbers that we're doing right now and certainly much bigger numbers than you are doing under the European Union."

Talking about Jeremy Corbyn, Mr Trump said the Labour leader "would be so bad for your country, he'd be so bad, he'd take you on such a bad way. He'd take you into such bad places".

Mr Corbyn hit back, tweeting: "Donald Trump is trying to interfere in Britain's election to get his friend Boris Johnson elected."