Johnson rejects Trump's advice to form general election pact with Farage

By Sam Blewett
Boris Johnson has rejected Donald Trump's advice of forming a Brexit pact with Nigel Farage in the pre-Christmas General Election.
The US president staged a major intervention by calling for the Prime Minister to team up with the Brexit Party leader to form an "unstoppable force" for the December 12 vote.
But the PM on Friday declined to take up the advice of his close ally, who had also waded into UK politics to deliver a criticism of Mr Johnson's new Brexit deal and Jeremy Corbyn.
Asked if he would form an alliance with Mr Farage, the PM told ITV News: "I may respectfully say to all our friends around the world... that the only way to get this thing done is to vote for us.
"Vote for this Government because unfortunately, as I tried to point out, if you vote for any other party the risk is you'll just get Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party, dither and delay, not just one referendum next year but two referendums."
A Number 10 source confirmed that this explicitly meant no deals with the Brexit Party.
"The PM is clear that only a vote for the Conservatives will deliver not just on the Brexit deal but on the priorities people care about," the source told the PA news agency.
(PA)