Conservative candidate begs Nigel Farage on Twitter not to run Brexit Party opponent against her

A Conservative candidate in the upcoming general election has taken to Twitter to beg Nigel Farage not to run a Brexit Party opponent against her.

Donna Jones, the Tory candidate for Portsmouth South, called for the Brexit Party leader to call off his threat to stand more than 600 candidates to be MPs across the country.

Ms Jones wrote on Twitter: “Dear Nigel Farage I’m a Conservatives candidate in Portsmouth South.

“I ran the Vote Leave campaign here in 2016.

“Please don’t stand a candidate against me, that way we will have one more MP elected who will get Brexit done.”

It also follows the publication of a startling poll showing the Tories and Labour struggling in the seat of Portsmouth South.

According to a Survation poll, commissioned by the Lib Dems, the Tories are currently polling 14 points down on their performance in the 2017 general election, with Labour 17 points down. In marked contrast, the Lib Dems are up 13 points and the Brexit Party is polling at 14%

Such a poll highlights the problem potentially facing the two main parties, with both facing the issue of the Lib Dems and the Brexit Party splitting their vote.

Twitter user @SpillerOfTea commented: “Begging other parties not to stand against you? Nothing at all undignified about that.”

On Monday, a former Brexit Party MEP urged people not to vote for the party in a long Twitter rant.

Prime minister Boris Johnson has refused Mr Farage’s offer of an election pact if he were to ditch the Brexit deal he made with the European Union.

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There are fears among Tories that the Brexit Party’s plan to stand more than 600 candidates could severely scupper the Conservative Party vote, potentially leaving the UK with a hung parliament after the election.

On Monday, Mr Farage said the deal Mr Johnson brought back from Brussels was "not Brexit".

He told a rally of up to 600 parliamentary candidates that his mission was to campaign for a "clean Brexit" and to remind voters of Labour's "betrayal" in switching to support a second referendum.

Outlining the party's campaign objectives in the run up to the December 12 vote, he said: "I want the country to know the sheer extent of Labour's betrayal.

"I want the country to know that this new EU treaty is not Brexit and if it goes through, we will never get independence."

Mr Farage has ruled himself out of standing to be an MP for an eighth time - he has been unsuccessful on seven previous occasions in elections and by-elections.

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