A pact would see the Brexit Party targeting just 40 key seats. The Prime Minister claimed he was prepared to put up “paper candidates” in the Labour-held constituencies. This would mean the Conservatives would only carry out minimal campaigning in order to give an advantage to their Brexit Party rivals, The Daily Telegraph revealed.

Pressure is mounting for both Mr Johnson and Mr Farage as the nomination deadline approaches at 4pm on Thursday.

By the end of last week, Mr Farage stated he wanted the Conservatives not to stand in the 40 Labour-held seats to give the Brexit Party a clear run.

Instead, the Conservatives came back with their offer to stand “paper candidates” in the seats.

They offered to soft-pedal their campaigns in the constituencies by not putting resources behind them.

Mr Farage instead made a “unilateral” decision to withdraw 317 candidates from Conservative-held seats and to fight in 300 others.

The Brexit Party leader said he had offered to stand down in key Tory target seats in return for a similar “trade-off”.

Mr Farage is now putting up candidates in key Labour marginals that Mr Johnson has to win to deliver a majority.

This is despite warnings from within the Brexit Party that it could split the Leave vote and help Mr Corbyn into No 10.

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Mr Farage said on Wednesday a proper deal could have resulted in a 40-seat majority after polling day.

Speaking at a boxing club in Ilford, Essex, Mr Farage said: “We are going to stand in every single Remainer seat in England and Wales and most of Scotland. We are going to target our resources where best we can.

“The only people now, after my big gesture, who are threatening to split the vote and might stop a Brexit majority in parliament is not Brexit, it’s the Conservative Party who should have stood down in those seats.”

The Brexit Party leader hinted on Wednesday he could vote for the Conservatives as his Party will not have a candidate in his home constituency of Kent.

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He said: “I want to see the manifesto. Let me see what is in the manifesto.

“I’m hoping and believing that what Boris said last Sunday is going to be in the manifesto.

“If that is in the manifesto then the deal as was is about to be changed in quite a big way.”

Mr Farage later appeared to change his mind, airing his views on social media.

The Brexit Party leader tweeted: “Given the way the Conservative Party have behaved this week, I could not vote for them.”

Mr Farage had previously climbed down from his threat to try to fight all seats at the December 12 poll.

It comes as an exclusive poll shows the Tories on course for a 110-seat majority as working-class voters flock to the Conservatives in a redrawing of the electoral map based on Leave and Remain sentiments.

The election battleground will move on to immigration on Thursday, with the Conservative Party claiming Jeremy Corbyn’s policies could lead to a three-fold increase in net migration to 840,000 a year.

The figure was disputed by Labour.

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