Farage refuses to rule out deal with Labour

The Ukip leader has previously said that he would “do a deal with the devil” in order to secure British exit from the European Union.

Speaking on LBC radio, he made clear that any agreement to go into coalition or support a minority government would depend on the parliamentary arithmetic produced by the election next May, rather than by his political sympathy with either of the major parties.

While insisting that he disagreed with Labour leader Ed Miliband on most subjects, Mr Farage said he would be ready to “do a deal with somebody that I otherwise wouldn’t normally do” if it meant restoring the UK’s ability to govern itself.

“We are facing, in four-and-a-half months’ time, the most uncertain general election that we’ve seen for many, many decades in this country,” said Mr Farage.

“All the balls are up in the air, chiefly because of the effect Ukip has had on politics.

“Either the Conservatives or the Labour Party will emerge as the biggest party after that election.

“Given our constitutional history and precedent, the monarch would expect the larger of the two parties to attempt to form either a formal coalition or some kind of support mechanism or deal where you can actually have a government there that can get a Budget through Parliament.

“If we find ourselves - and it’s an if, of course it is - in a position where we actually do hold the balance of power, whilst everybody thinks it’s more likely that it’s David Cameron who would need Ukip support, it’s not absolutely impossible that it could be Ed Miliband.

“But I disagree with almost everything Mr Miliband stands for and it wouldn’t be easy.”

Challenged over whether his personal political career would be enhanced by a Labour victory, as it would see off the prospect of the in/out referendum promised by David Cameron and ensure that Europe remained a dividing line in British politics, Mr Farage responded: “I couldn’t care less about being in the European Parliament, I couldn’t care less about being Ukip leader, I couldn’t care less about political parties. I’m not interested in any of this stuff.”