‘Ungrateful’ PM Johnson told off by Farage mum

Friday, June 19, 2026

Barbara Farage criticized Boris Johnson for not personally acknowledging Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party for withdrawing candidates in over 300 constituencies during the 2019 election, a move that helped secure the Conservative Party’s large majority. The perceived lack of gratitude contributed to ongoing tensions within the pro-Brexit political landscape and has coincided with growing support for Reform UK, the Brexit Party's successor.

Nigel Farage’s mother, Barbara Farage, expressed her disappointment with Boris Johnson following the 2019 general election, after Johnson did not personally acknowledge her son’s role in securing the Conservative Party's victory. According to a new biography of Nigel Farage, Barbara Farage, now 80, sent a strongly worded letter to Johnson, criticizing the then-prime minister for failing to thank her son for the Brexit Party’s strategic decision to withdraw candidates in over 300 constituencies. This move was intended to avoid splitting the pro-Brexit vote and ultimately paved the way for Johnson’s Conservative Party to win a significant majority.

The biography, titled *The Farage Factor* and written by Lord Ashcroft, reveals that a family friend reported Barbara Farage’s frustration not only over the absence of a personal note from Johnson but also his team’s response. Instead of a direct reply from Johnson, a standard form letter was sent from Downing Street, which further irritated her.

During the 2019 election, the Brexit Party gave the Conservative Party an uncontested advantage in 317 seats they had previously won in 2017. This arrangement contributed to Johnson’s decisive victory, granting him an 80-seat majority and a strong mandate to "get Brexit done," fulfilling one of his key campaign promises.

Lord Ashcroft’s account suggests that although this cooperation was crucial in securing the electoral success of the Conservatives, Johnson’s perceived ingratitude has had lasting political repercussions. The biography posits that the Tory Party has suffered ongoing damage from what some view as a betrayal of pro-Brexit voters. Meanwhile, support for Reform UK, the party that evolved from the Brexit Party under Farage’s leadership, has grown since the election.

The book also speculates on the potential consequences had Johnson publicly rewarded Farage with a peerage following the election. According to Lord Ashcroft, such a move might have damaged Johnson’s leadership and possibly ended his political career.

*The Farage Factor* marks the first comprehensive biography of Nigel Farage, who has been a prominent figure in British politics and the leading voice behind the Brexit movement for several years.