Lord David Frost, the former Brexit minister and the man who crafted the deal which took Britain out of EU, has appeared to suggest that Nigel Farage should return to the ranks of the Tories.
And he also took a swipe at Sir Keir Starmer, pouring cold water on the Labour leader’s plan to secure a better post-Brexit trade agreement than the one agreed by Lord Frost
Mr Farage, the former UKIP and Brexit Party leader, has not been a member of the Conservative Party since he quit in 1992 after the signing the Maastricht treaty, which in effect renamed the erstwhile European Community the European Union.
However, he did raise eyebrows when he attended the Conservative Party’s annual conference last year, at which he was afforded a rapturous reception.
The 59-year-old was even pictured dancing with former Home Secretary Priti Patel to Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You.
Speaking on GB News, Lord Frost, indicated that Mr Farage would be welcomed back into the fold.
Asked whether Prime Minister Rish Sunak should start listening to the former MEP-turned-GB News presenter, Lord Frost said “in many ways” Mr Farage was a Conservative.
He said: “Obviously he believes in many of the things I believe in – free markets, low immigration, all these kinds of things and people can see that.
“So he’s a natural part of the right movement in this country, which unfortunately has got divided between different parties.
“But, but I personally think the more people who are out there arguing for what I think, the better things are.”
Addressing Sir Keir’s suggestion of an EU pact on immigration, Lord Frost added: “So I keep asking Labour what are you prepared to give up to get these things?
“And they don’t have an answer.”
Any attempt to renegotiate the UK’s deal with the bloc in 2025 could mean accepting EU laws in some areas, Lord Frost warned.
Asked at the conference about the possibility of Mr Farage making a sensational return, Mr Sunak himself said the Conservative Party was “a broad church”, adding that he “welcomes lots of people who want to subscribe to our ideals”.
Mr Farage dismissed the idea during his speech at the Reform UK’s conference a few days later, saying: “Very sweet of you Prime Minister, but the answer is no, I will not be rejoining.”
Speaking to Express.co.uk last month, former Brexit Party MEP and ex-Tory minister Ann Widdecombe also scoffed at the idea, saying: “He was covering it for GB News.
“There are all sorts of people at the conference – there are people from The Guardian, people from the BBC.
“They’re not joining the Tory party. Nigel was there in his capacity as a GB News presenter.”
