Nigel Farage has been warned that he may struggle to “wriggle out” of a second possible by-election in Clacton, as sleaze claims continue to pile up against his party.
The Reform UK leader has been urged to “come clean” after a report suggesting that he struck a secret deal with deputy leader Richard Tice to return to the top role several months before the 2024 general election.
It casts fresh doubt on Farage’s defence that he had not declared a £5m gift from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne in April 2024 because he was not involved in politics at the time.
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What you need to know about NHS MenB vaccination
Your response to a vaccine may be affected by positive thinking (Photo: Iparraguirre Recio/Getty/Moment RF)
Tens of thousands of young people starting university next month have received their first dose of the meningitis B (menB) vaccine following deadly outbreaks earlier this year.
What you need to know
How many doses have been administered?
89,261
The jabs administered in the first fortnight of a one-off programme.
Under-25s
The jabs were given to Year 13 pupils and students under 25 heading to university or residential education this autumn, NHS England said.
Why is there an immunisation drive?
Students queuing to receive vaccines and antibiotics at the University of Kent campus (Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
MenB outbreak
The drive comes after a series of meningitis outbreaks in March left three teenagers dead.
Fast-growing
The outbreak at the University of Kent was the fastest growing and largest seen in the UK.
Students queuing for antibiotics outside a building at the University of Kent in Canterbury (Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
A student has died and two other young people are being treated following a meningitis outbreak in Reading, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
Campaign for vaccine
The family of 18-year-old Juliette Kenny, who died during the outbreak, have been campaigning for young people to receive the vaccine.
What is MenB?
Meningococcal group B bacteria, or MenB, is a leading cause of severe bacterial infections like meningitis and sepsis.
Caption: Bacillus Koch (Bk) or Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it is responsible for tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is making a comeback due to the appearance of multi-resistant bacterial strains. Pulmonary tuberculosis (phthisis) is the most widespread, but there are bone disorders (Pott’s disease, white tumor of the knee), renal, intestinal, genital, meningeal and skin disorders (tuberculomas). Image taken from an X 1000 optical microscopy. (Photo by: CAVALLINI JAMES/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Photographer: BSIP
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Source: Universal Images Group Editorial
Copyright: CAVALLINI JAMES / BSIP
More than 100 students in Kent were turned away while trying to get the MenB vaccine on Thursday (Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
MenB infection can cause life-threatening problems, including inflammation of the lining of the brain and sepsis, which can lead to amputations, hearing loss and brain damage.
The government’s reaction
By receiving both doses of the vaccine, young people are protecting themselves from this awful disease. I encourage everyone who hasn’t yet come forward to do so in August and to remember that a second dose is vital for full protection.
Baroness Merron, Health and Social Care minister
Since the murders of Jo Cox and Sir David Amess, concerns for the safety of house members has climbed higher on the political agenda (Photo: Getty Images)
politics
Burnham could hold fresh King’s Speech to set out new priorities
Andy Burnham is considering holding a fresh King’s Speech to set out new priorities for his Government, The i Paper has been told.
What is Burnham planning?
The Prime Minister is understood to be weighing up whether a new parliamentary session would provide an opportunity to mark a break from the Sir Keir Starmer era which saw Labour’s popularity plunge in the polls.
Caption: File photo dated 20-10-2020 of Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham. Issue date: Monday April 19, 2021. PA Photo. The Labour Party?s Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, which is home to two of the Super League founder clubs in Manchester United and Manchester City, tweeted: ?That phrase ?the game?s gone? always used to annoy me. See PA story SOCCER European. Photo credit should read Jacob King/PA Wire.
Photographer: Jacob King
Provider: PA
Source: PA
Caption: King Charles III welcomes Andy Burnham, during an audience at Buckingham Palace, London, where he invited the leader of the Labour Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government. Picture date: Monday July 20, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Aaron Chown/PA Wire
Photographer: Aaron Chown
Provider: Aaron Chown/PA Wire
Source: PA
However, a Government source said there are no plans for it to happen this calendar year, sparing ministers the awkward optics of summoning the King back to Westminster only months after he set out the Labour administration’s legislative priorities in May.
What is the monarch’s speech?
1The monarch’s speech announces the specific new bills and laws the government plans to introduce over the next year.
2The speech is not required when a new prime minister enters Downing Street.
3Governments can continue legislating under an existing parliamentary session, and there is no constitutional obligation on a successor to seek a new session simply because there has been a change of leader.
Why is Burnham considering a new speech?
A senior Whitehall source said that much of what Burnham had announced in the first days of his premiership signalled a departure from Starmer’s agenda.
“The question is what legislation will be needed to make the changes he wants and whether an entire new King’s Speech will be required to set out the new Government’s priorities,” the source said.
Exclusive
2 min read
Big Read
6 min read
Who else has sought a new speech?
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown (Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)
Gordon Brown
Brown unveiled a Queen’s Speech setting out his plans in late 2007 despite not having fought a general election.
Boris Johnson
Johnson also sought a fresh Queen’s Speech in October 2019 after replacing Theresa May in Downing Street.
Caption: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 08: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey on the 80th anniversary of VE Day on May 8, 2025 in London, England. The King and Queen, joined by Members of the Royal Family, will take part in events from May 5th to May 8th to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, which signalled the end of the Second World War in Europe. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Photographer: Max Mumby/Indigo
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Source: Getty Images Europe
Caption: WINDSOR, ENGLAND – MAY 13: Queen Elizabeth II watches the horses from her Range Rover at The Royal Windsor Horse Show at Home Park on May 13, 2022 in Windsor, England. The Royal Windsor Horse Show, which is said to be the Queen???s favourite annual event, takes place as Her Majesty celebrates 70 years of service. The 4-day event will include the ???Gallop Through History??? performance, which forms part of the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Photographer: Chris Jackson
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Chris Jackson Collection
Why seek a new speech?
Both PMs used the occasion to signal a new phase of government.
news
The supermarket foods most at risk as drought continues
(Photo: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty)
As heatwaves and drought continue to grip the UK, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has warned that some supermarket foods might be at risk.
What you need to know
Tom Bradshaw, NFU president, has warned of food shortages and asked the Prime droughts and record heatwaves this year, amid a changing climate.
(REUTERS/Jose Cabezas)
After weeks of dry weather, soils have cracked and hardened (Photo: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He told BBC Radio 4: “It does feel like there is going be some shortages of [food] products.”
Which foods are being affected?
Caption: FILE PHOTO: A combine drives over stalks of soft red winter wheat during the harvest on a farm in Dixon, Illinois, July 16, 2013. REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES – Tags: AGRICULTURE ENVIRONMENT)/File Photo
Photographer: Jim Young
Provider: REUTERS
Source: X90065
Cereals
Cereals such as wheat have been hit, according to the Agriculture
and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
‘Significant reductions’
The AHDB said some farms are “experiencing significant reductions” in cereal yields.
Caption: Abstract pattern of dry cracked clay mud in dried up lake bed / riverbed caused by prolonged drought in summer in hot weather temperatures. (Photo by: Sven-Erik Arndt/Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Photographer: Arterra
Provider: Arterra/Universal Images Group v
Source: Universal Images Group Editorial
Copyright: Arterra / Sven-Erik Arndt
Cooling rack filled with freshly baked artisanal breads in bakery – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Why this matters
Cereals are essential to bread, pasta, pizza, pastry, many alcoholic drinks, and animal feed.
The expert view
Farmers are telling us this is the worst harvest in years… This is the third drought in five years. What was once extraordinary is becoming part of farming in Britain, and government must start planning for it.
Gavin Lane, president of the Country, Land and Business Association, talking to the guardian
Caption: Sunbathers at a beach during a heatwave in Palma, Spain, on Sunday, July 27, 2025.??Tourism??in??Spain, Europe’s second largest holiday destination, will grow less than previously expected as economic and geopolitical uncertainties weigh on appetite for travel.??Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Photographer: Bloomberg
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Source: Bloomberg
news
The most popular retirement spots in Europe for Britons
A “rapidly growing” number of Britons are hoping to retire to Europe, experts have found, five years after Brexit brought an end to freedom of movement.
What you need to know
James Roberts, chief executive of Blevins Franks, told Sky News that enquiries to his firm, which specialises in expatriate affairs, shot up to 13,000 last year.
Money Clinic
2 min read
MONEY
3 min read
Where are the most popular spots?
Spain
Blevins Franks told Sky News that a third of Brits Swere choosing to retire in Spain.
Caption: Tourists gather on Palma’s Beach in Palma de Mallorca on July 18, 2025. Spanish company Amadeus, the world’s leading travel booking provider, saw its profits jump by 12% in the first half of the year, driven by the strength of the tourism and air transport sectors, which boosted its revenues, according to its results published on July 31, 2025. (Photo by JAIME REINA / AFP) (Photo by JAIME REINA/AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: JAIME REINA
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Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
Caption: Women use electric fans to cool off during a heatwave in Paris on July 10, 2026. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: BEHROUZ MEHRI
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
France
A quarter of retirees were choosing France as their perfect spot.
Portugal
17 per cent were deciding to settle down in Portugal.
(Photo: Sean Pavone/Getty).
Europe is getting more popular
A 2022 Canada Life survey uncovered similar findings to Blevins Franks, with the most popular destinations for British retirees including:
Spain, with 46 per cent retiree interest.
Portugal, with 21 per cent.
France, with 19 per cent.
Italy, with 16 per cent.
Caption: Ariana Grande at the “Wicked: For Good” New York Premiere held at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on November 17, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images)
Photographer: John Nacion
Provider: Variety via Getty Images
Source: Variety
news
Why Ariana Grande is set to withdraw from public appearances
Ariana Grande will withdraw from public appearances and will no longer star in an upcoming musical production in London when she ends her Eternal Sunshine tour next month.
Here is everything you need to know about the decision.
What happened?
A representative for Grande told People that she “will be taking a step back from visibility” when her Eternal Sunshine tour ends.
Ariana Grande attends the “Wicked: Part One” European Premiere on November 18, 2024 (Photo: Neil Mockford/WireImage)
Caption: US singer actress Ariana Grande attends the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on January 4, 2026. (Photo by Chris DELMAS / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: CHRIS DELMAS
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Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
It was also announced that Grande would no longer feature in a production of Sunday in the Park with George, due to play at the Barbican in 2027, with the production company saying she had their “complete understanding and support”.
Why is Grande taking a step back?
Caption: Ariana Grande at the MTV Video Music Awards 2025 held at UBS Arena on September 07, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)
Photographer: Christopher Polk
Provider: Billboard via Getty Images
Source: Billboard
Copyright: Billboard
‘Public scrutiny’
Grande’s representatives said the star has faced “endless, ongoing public scrutiny”.
Physical demands
Grande’s reps also said she “performs a very physical show”, suggesting it may be taking a physical toll.
Caption: FILE – Ariana Grande arrives at the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, at The Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
Photographer: Richard Shotwell
Provider: AP Photo/Richard Shotwell
Source: Invision
Copyright: Invision
Ariana Grande performing at this year’s Met Gala in New York (Photo: Kevin Mazur/ MG24/ Getty/Met Museum/ Vogue)
What happens now?
Her tour continues in Chicago on Monday with three dates. It will then move to London’s O2 arena for 10 dates.
sport
Everything you need to know about Fifa Infantino row
Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s leadership looks to be under threat (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP)
The English Football Association is set to withdraw its support for Gianni Infantino’s re-election as Fifa president after he revealed plans to sell off the World Cup.
What caused the row?
Infantino is under increasing pressure to resign and could face a vote of no confidence in the wake of now-abandoned plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.
Caption: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – JUNE 11: UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin arrives before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A match between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City Stadium on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Toya Sarno Jordan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Photographer: Toya Sarno Jordan – FIFA
Provider: FIFA via Getty Images
Source: FIFA
Copyright: TOYA SARNO JORDAN
Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s leadership looks to be under threat (Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty)
Despite walking back on his plans, Uefa has declared a loss of confidence in Infantino, with the Football Association (FA) supportive of the stance taken by European football’s governing body.
Plans to sell off World Cup
Fifa had announced on Tuesday that it was seeking to launch FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
The plans would bring together the sale of Fifa’s commercial rights.
Infantino had given football associations until 19 September to back his proposals with a £30.1m incentive to accept.
After receiving gloabl backlash, Infantino walked back the plans, saying they had “created division”.
Who is calling for his resignation?
To cite The Smiths, as we surely must in the Burnham era, we do not want to go “back to the old house” (Photo: Jack Taylor/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Andy Burnham
The Prime Minister said Infantino is “not the right man to lead football” and should stand down.
England’s FA
The FA said it was time for a “full and robust review of Fifa’s leadership and governance”.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham is making inquiries football’s lawmakers to find out why referee body cameras are forbidden (Pic: Getty)
Caption: OLYMPIASTADION, BERLIN, GERMANY – 2024/06/29: Aleksander Ceferin (L), president of UEFA, and Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, look on prior to the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 football match between Switzerland and Italy. Switzerland won 2-0 over Italy. (Photo by Nicol?? Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Photographer: Nicol?? Campo
Provider: LightRocket via Getty Images
Source: LightRocket
Copyright: ? 2024 Nicol? Campo
UEFA
Uefa said Infantino had “not only lost Uefa’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family.”
How could he be removed?
An emergency Fifa congress can be held as long as it is called for by 20 per cent of Fifa’s 211 member associations.
A rival candidate could be put up before the November 18 deadline to take on Infantino in next March’s Fifa presidential election in Rabat, Morocco.
Analysis
6 min read
OPINION
2 min read
Are you having as much sex as everyone else?
It’s natural for libido to wax and wane due to life events, dating status or hormonal changes.
And it can be hard to say what a “normal” sexual frequency is. But research and case studies give us a rough idea.
The statistics
When it happens
61%
A 2023 survey concluded that almost two thirds (61 per cent) of us wait until night-time to have sex.
Only 14 per cent opt to get busy in the early evening, and 10 per cent in the morning.
Three
Research from 2019 suggests that the average number of times British live-in or married couples have sex per month is three.
Are Gen Z having less sex than older people?
I see my partner on the weekends and have sex with others in the week.
Leanne, a 27-year-old influencer from Bristol has sex three or four times a week, but only sees her long-distance partner on the weekends. They have agreed they can both sleep with other people during the week.
Millennials
35-year-old Rebecca usually sleeps with her partner once or twice per week due to not having much child-free time.
Clare, 32, says her job is busy and she has to schedule sex with her partner on weekends, or some afternoons twice a month. “Occasionally this slips and I do worry that it makes us not as connected,” she says.
Gen X
Daisy, 56
I haven’t had the issue of my sex life drying up with menopause. I’m more aroused now.
Anna, 52
I’ve been married for 15 years. I love my husband, but our sex life is non-existent, and has been for about five years.
Mimi, 46
I’m not really motivated to seek out partners; I vaguely like the idea of it but not enough to take any action.
Boomers
I’ve been married for 20 years and sex has become something of a rarity. We maybe have sex once a week on a Sunday morning as we’re both relaxed and I can take Viagra late on Saturday night – without it, I can’t perform.
JACK, 63, OFFICE WORKER, KENT
Couple, talk and arguing with fight at house for disagreement, conflict and divorce discussion. Woman, explain and bored man for conversation, toxic relationship and drama and marriage fail in lounge – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
The seven rules that could save your marriage
Keep your sense of self
I did what I thought I was supposed to do and forgot my needs and wants. I think it’s really important that you’re an individual and not just a person who is married.
KATIE STRATFORD*, A 55-YEAR-OLD MUM OF TWO, WHO DIVORCED ATER 19 YEARS
Caption: A married couple sitting in silence, looking in opposite directions. The image captures the concept of female loneliness within a marriage, emotional disconnection, and relationship problems. Symbolizes quiet desperation and isolation at home
Photographer: Galina Zhigalova
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Seven rules to save your marriage
(Photo: Kathrin Ziegler/Getty).
The small things
Small things, like being brought a cup of tea or saying thank you, make a big difference.
Therapists
Karen Deulofeu, who ended her six-year marriage, believes all couples should seek support, even before they think they need it.
Female psychiatrist discussing with mid adult woman during therapy session – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
(Photo: MTStock Studio/Getty).
Listen
Listen properly by repeating what you have heard and ask if you’ve got that right.
Don’t lose communication
People don’t talk about the deep issues; nobody else is going to do it for you. You don’t want to ask questions because it might rock the boat…you have to keep talking, and talk about what it is that you want within the relationship to keep going forward.
KATIE STRATFORD
‘One question is how to achieve such a longevity hack when most of us have relationships that unsettle us,’ says Dr Amir Levine (Photo: Oliver Rossi/Getty)
Seven rules to save your marriage
Remember that things change
“What you see on social media and what friends say is quite often the nice version. Everything is a phase,” says Deulofeu.
‘I’m genuinely considering returning to full-time work’ (Photo: PeopleImages/ Getty Images)
Caption: A senior couple spend time in an indoor sunny market. The woman looks through a clothes on a rail as her husband waits patiently behind her.
Photographer: Catherine Falls Commercial
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Look at yourself first
“Focus on what’s in your control and what you can do differently, rather than the other person or a situation that you can’t control. Invest in understanding yourself,” she adds.
It emerged today that Tice is also under investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Daniel Greenberg, for failing to declare an interest.
Labour and opposition parties accused Farage of “running away” from serious questions over personal and party finances. They warned the Reform leader that he was running out of time before he faces a parliamentary probe which could trigger a second Clacton vote that they will fight to win.
Farage admits discussing ‘liabilities’ involved in return
In March and April 2024, Farage negotiated a deal with Tice to take over the leadership of the party – so long as Reform repaid or wrote off more than £1m in loans received from Tice’s company, The Sunday Times reported.
Farage has argued that Harborne’s £5m gift was not connected to his political activity and said last month that he “wasn’t in politics” between 2021 and June 2024.
Farage previously said he had no intention of returning to politics before June 2024. Newly elected MPs must register any relevant financial interests and gifts received in the 12 months before their election.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Farage admitted that in spring 2024 he had discussed with Tice what would happen if he returned to lead the party.
“You’d be a bit of a mug, wouldn’t you, to walk into a job and not find out what the potential liabilities were, and they were substantial,” he said. But Farage added that it “wasn’t a deal, it wasn’t an agreement, it was subject to if I came back”.
A Reform source said Farage had been keeping his options open in March and April 2024. They said he had found out about the party’s financial liabilities, then initially decided he would not return – before later reversing that decision.
‘Farage won’t be able to wriggle out of investigations’
An investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner into the £5m gift has been paused until after next week’s Clacton by-election – triggered earlier this summer by Farage.
He is widely expected to win the 13 August vote. However, should the standards commissioner find against him, MPs could suspend the Reform leader from the Commons.
Should he be suspended for more than 10 sitting days, it would trigger a recall petition in his constituency. If at least 10 per cent of voters sign up, he will lose his seat and have to fight another by-election.
Farage’s main opponent in next Thursday’s Clacton contest is novelty candidate Count Binface after the major parties boycotted the poll, dismissing it as a political stunt.
However, all the main parties have confirmed that they intend to stand against Farage if there is a second Clacton by-election.
Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, said even if Farage were to beat Binface in the “pointless” contest, “he won’t be able to wriggle out of the formal investigations or the prospect of a second by-election”.
She added: “With every new revelation, Reform UK and Nigel Farage look more and more like a bunch of grifters who believe it’s one rule for them and one rule for everyone else.”
Kevin Hollinrake, Conservative Party Chair, said Farage “needs to come clean about his finances”, adding: “The questions keep mounting, yet the answers never come.”
Labour Chair Bridget Phillipson suggested that Farage was “running out of time” before the formal investigation which could trigger a second by-election.
Farage had “called a by-election against a bin to run away from serious unanswered questions”, Phillipson said. The Reform leader “can’t run from the truth forever though – the net is closing in”, she added.
“If accurate, this [latest] revelation blowsNigel Farage’s story apart,” added Phillipson. “It would mean Farage was privately negotiating his return to frontline politics while publicly presenting as someone who hadn’t decided whether to return.”
Other investigations faced by Reform
Farage has appeared to acknowledge that he could also face a second parliamentary probe, over support provided by convicted fraudster George Cottrell. Cottrell reportedly recruited and paid staff to work on Farage’s social media before the 2024 election.
It emerged on Monday that Tice is under investigation by the standards commissioner. The probe into an alleged failure to declare an interest was launched on 28 July.
Reform deputy leader Richard Tice, who is also under investigation by the standards commissioner (Photo: Toby Shepheard/AFP)
Reform’s deputy leader claimed the inquiry was about a complaint by an “anti-Israel lobby group” over whether he should have made reference to his register of interests at start of “a debate on UK democracy and Israeli influence”.
Separately, the Metropolitan Police are investigating two donations of £250,000 to Reform before the 2024 election by a company controlled by Tice called Britain Means Business.
Direct donations to Reform by Cottrell’s mother, Fiona, are also being investigated by Scotland Yard, The Times first reported.
Cottrell reportedly transferred more than $2m (£1.5m) to his mother before her 2024 donations to Reform.
Last month Farage claimed that he had “absolutely no idea” whether Cottrell’s mother had donated money on behalf of her son. “What’s it got to do with me how families sort out their finances?”
The i Paper has previously reported how Farage may have fallen into the “Boris Johnson trap” with the £5m gift from Harborne and the claim that it was a “personal” arrangement.
The former prime minister had argued to parliamentary authorities that he did not have to declare a £15,000 holiday to Mustique funded by friend David Ross because it was a private arrangement. But that argument was emphatically rejected due to the fact Ross was a previous party donor.
Harborne is one of the biggest political donors in modern UK history and first donated to Reform’s forerunner, the Brexit Party, in 2019.
Meanwhile, Farage said he was “open minded” about working with right-wing rival Restore Britain, following an offer from its leader Rupert Lowe of a deal between the two parties.
The Reform leader told reporters on Monday that he had “opened the door” to a conversation with Lowe, saying he had reached out to him about a possible call.
The Restore leader had set out five conditions for co-operation – including a referendum on the death penalty and the exclusion of former Tory ministers from any future cabinet.
Farage appeared to reject the demand about excluding former Conservatives. “I don’t ditch my friends,” he said.
Reform UK was contact for comment.