Farage confirms talks with Restore's Lowe as right-wing pact rumours gather pace

Nigel Farage has confirmed he "reached out" to Rupert Lowe, the Restore Britain leader, after Lowe offered talks on a coalition to "unite the Right", GB News and the Daily Mail report. Farage told GB News he is "open-minded" on the prospect of a pact, though Nadine Dorries writing in the Mail declared Restore "a busted flush" while outlining how the Right could still unite.

Novara Media describes the potential alliance as a "far-right pact", a label both Reform UK and Restore would reject. The framing is itself the argument: whether this is democratic consolidation or extremist creep depends entirely on where you stand. The arithmetic, however, is neutral - neither party can win alone, and both know it.

Farage has also confirmed talks with "senior French figures" on the small boats issue, telling GB News that "attitudes are beginning to change" in Paris. The Mirror has published three separate pieces dismissing Farage's Royal Navy interception plan as unworkable, a distraction from "sleaze questions", and "choreographed nonsense designed to divert attention from his crypto scandal". The repetition is itself notable - when an outlet runs the same dismissal three times in different bylines, the thing being dismissed is working as a distraction.

The right-of-centre is now visibly negotiating in public, which is either the prelude to a serious realignment or the performance of one to keep donors and voters interested while the polls stay frozen. The tell will be whether Farage and Lowe produce a joint platform or merely joint appearances.

What to watch: whether any formal terms emerge from the Farage-Lowe talks, and whether the Conservative Party responds by moving right or by waiting for the pact to collapse under its own contradictions.