The Conservatives have ruled out any possibility of a deal with UKIP in the event of a hung Parliament. Tory Cabinet minister Michael Gove has dismissed the notion of a coalition, saying that “we’re not going to get into bed with them, no”.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Gove became the first senior Tory to address the issue of whether or not the two parties can find enough common ground to enable them to have a share of power – however unequal that may be. Gove said he thought UKIP had peaked and that it may well be left without a single seat after the general election.
Asked to rule out Farage’s offer of a deal after the election, Gove told the Telegraph: “Yes. It’s very nice of [Nigel Farage to say he would do a deal]. I don’t want to say anything disobliging about Nigel Farage or about people in Ukip, but I’ve got no appetite, interest or inclination towards doing a deal with anyone.”
An agreement on a vote-by-vote basis that would enable a minority Conservative government to govern is also not going to happen. Gove said: “No, no, no. There won’t be. Firstly, I don’t think there will be many Ukip MPs – if any – after the election.
“I can’t influence how other parties choose to vote. So in this Parliament, we’ve had in the final months two Ukip MPs, and sometimes they’ve voted with the Conservatives and sometimes against.
“But we’re not going into talks with them, no. I’ll be perfectly civil with any member of Parliament from any party after the next general election and if they want to vote for Conservative policies, then great. But we’re not going to get into bed with them, no.”