Jordan Bardella, President of France’s National Rally party, has hailed Nigel Farage for returning “common sense” to British politics.
Addressing Reform’s party conference in Birmingham, the man widely tipped to be France’s next leader agreed to a pact to end the small boat crisis forever.
The Frenchman, who leads National Rally alongside Marine Le Pen, was joined on stage by Mr Farage to sign a document committing to their cooperation should the pair win their respective nation’s next general elections.
“For us, Nigel has a quality that has become far too rare in politics. He has brought two words back to the heart of British politics: Common sense,” Mr Bardella began.
“Your leaders had almost forgotten common sense.”
“And when common sense comes back into politics, the establishment usually starts to tremble.”
Mr Bardella congratulated Mr Farage on what he described as his “brilliant victory” in Clacton.
The French presidential frontrunner said the establishment had “more or less lined up” behind his opponent, the satirical candidate Count Binface.
Jordan Bardella, President of France’s National Rally party, spoke at Reform’s conference in Birmingham
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“Nigel, you did what had to be done. You took out the rubbish.”
Mr Bardella said he particularly wanted to praise Mr Farage for returning to voters and accepting their verdict.
“Because in a democracy, for us patriots, there is only one supreme judge: the people,” he said.
“No media courts, however powerful they may be, will ever stand above the verdict of the ballot box.”
Nigel Farage was hailed for returning ‘common sense’ to British politics in the speech
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Mr Bardella warned against what he described as attempts to create “a democracy without the people”, where voters are repeatedly asked to cast their ballots until they provide the “right answer”.
“This is not our idea of democracy. For us, the people are not a problem to get around. The people are sovereign.”
He said political leaders’ role was “not to govern against them” but to “listen to them” and “respect their choices”.
“It is to respond to their hopes and their concerns. That is our idea of democracy.”
Nigel Farage signs ‘memorandum of understanding’ with the man widely tipped to be France’s next leader
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PATurning to Britain, he said the UK could serve as an example to the rest of Europe.
“If f there is one country in Europe that can remind the world what it means to be a free people, it is the United Kingdom,” he said.
Discussing his deal with Mr Bardella, Mr Farage said: “We hope and believe our next two governments will reaffirm our commitment to stopping illegal immigration, where France says they’ll do their utmost to stop all departures.
“And maybe this time, with him as prime minister, they will actually mean it.”