Le Pen has no date set for Farage Paris meeting, officials say

Marine Le Pen has not scheduled a Paris visit by Nigel Farage, four National Rally officials with knowledge of her schedule told POLITICO, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive party relations between the French party and Reform UK.

Farage's trip had been billed for October as part of a tour of leaders on the European right. Reform first told POLITICO at its Birmingham conference in early September that Farage would meet Le Pen by the end of October, and Farage alluded to the trip after Jordan Bardella's English-language speech at the event, saying: "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." As October drew to a close, a senior Reform official said: "It's in [the] diary for this year."

The four National Rally officials said they were not aware of any Farage visit scheduled before Christmas. One, a Le Pen aide, suggested Farage might instead be offered a meeting with Bardella, Le Pen's second-in-command. Another adviser to Le Pen said: "We'd need to spend a bit more time thinking through the costs and benefits."

Several figures in the party said there was no urgency in refocusing attention on relations with Reform or on a migration deal the two parties signed in September. Under that agreement, Bardella and Farage undertook to deport back to France all migrants who make unauthorized crossings of the English Channel in small boats. The plan drew criticism in France, where politicians across the spectrum questioned why the country would accept asylum seekers back.

Thibaut Francois, an official with the National Rally's delegation to the European Parliament, said there are "regular contacts" with Reform and that the two parties would meet "very soon", but would not say whether such a meeting would take place in 2026. Charles-Henri Gallois, Bardella's economic adviser, said the migration deal is "ready and set to be implemented" if both parties win power, and that there was no need to discuss it further.

A senior Reform official said the party's priority was preparing for UK elections rather than international appearances. Spokespeople for Reform and National Rally did not respond to requests for comment, POLITICO said.

The report also cited Jean-Yves Camus of the Jean-Jaurès Foundation saying Le Pen has abandoned a French exit from the European Union because it is too daunting for French voters, and that the outcome of the US midterms reinforces her mistrust of Trumpism.