Nigel Farage talks up Marine Le Pen meeting that has not been scheduled

Nigel Farage has been hyping up a visit to see Marine Le Pen, the president of the French far-right National Rally party, which has not been scheduled yet.

Reform had said Farage would go to France to meet Le Pen, the favourite to win the first round of France’s 2027 presidential election, in October.

This comes after Farage hosted Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s successor as Rassemblement Nationale leader, as the star speaker at Reform’s annual party conference in September. 

However, as reported by Politico, four sources in the National Rally have said that no such meeting with Le Pen has been scheduled.

Several figures told Politico there was no urgency in refocusing media attention on relations with Reform or on a migration deal signed in September. 

There was a furious backlash in France after Bardella signed a memorandum of understanding with Farage’s party to deport all migrants who cross the Channel illegally back to France. 

While Farage even alluded to a trip to Paris at Reform conference, a source told Politico that “the costs and benefits” of a Farage visit now needed weighing up.

After Bardella’s speech at the conference, Farage said: “The only downside is I think they’re going to invite me to go to Paris and I’ll have to speak in French, but never mind, we’ll get there.”

However, confirmation of the invite to meet Le Pen never materialised. 

After a reciprocal appearance at the National Rally’s conference in Orléans in late October wasn’t extended to Farage, a senior Reform official said: “It’s in [the] diary for this year.”

Yet, sources who are aware of Le Pen’s plans said they are not aware of any Farage visit scheduled before Christmas.

One of them, a Le Pen aide, suggested Farage may instead be offered a meeting with Bardella, whose standing in the party has suffered a series of blows in recent months.

Last month, investigative website Mediapart leaked private messages on Facebook in which Bardella used antisemitic tropes when he was a teenager.

Another adviser to Le Pen questioned the pros and cons of the party president associating herself with Farage.

“We’d need to spend a bit more time thinking through the costs and benefits,” they said.

Thibaut Francois, an official with the RN’s delegation to the European Parliament, said that there are “regular contacts” with Reform and that the two parties would meet “very soon.” 

But he would not say whether a meeting would go ahead this year.

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward