Ben Habib (pictured) has said that staying in Europe would be better than leaving under Boris Johnson's Withdrawal Agreement

A Brexit Party MEP has said he thinks the Prime Minister's Withdrawal Agreement is 'much worse' than remaining in the European Union.

Ben Habib made the claims during a television interview during which he also insisted that Boris Johnson must be steered away from his proposal.

'What we really need to do is get the Prime Minister to pivot away from the Withdrawal Agreement.

'I see the Withdrawal Agreement as much worse than Remain, frankly,' Mr Habib told Sophy Ridge on Sky.

He added that under Mr Johnson's deal Northern Ireland will be left 'bereft'.

But he did not confirm whether his comments represented the official position of the Brexit Party.

Instead, he said: 'That may or may not be our position. That's certainly my view.'

Mr Habib's interview came after the number of candidates running in the election was confirmed.

There are only 275 Brexit Party candidates standing despite Nigel Farage initially suggesting that his party would target every seat in Britain.

Pressed on why his party is standing down in Tory seats, he said: 'The Tories are not hostile to Brexit.'

He added that the party feared creating a hung parliament or giving power to the Labour Party.

Mr Habib's Sky interview with Sophy Ridge (pictured) came after the number of candidates running in the election was confirmed

'The key for us was to try and get a Leave-sympathetic majority of Parliamentarians in Parliament, and we could have cut that cake in a number of different ways, but the way we decided to do it was to simply stand down against the Tories in those 317 seats.

'What we'd hoped was that the Tories would respond positively to the enormously generous offer that we made two weeks ago which was for them to stand down in the 150-odd seats that they haven't won for over 100 years in the Labour heartlands,' he said.

He claimed that this would have resulted in a 'very strong Leave majority' in Parliament.

But Mr Habib described his party's continued hope that the Tories would stand down as 'forlorn', adding: 'So we're going head-to-head with the Tories in these heartlands and so be it.'

The Brexit Party MEP also said that Boris Johnson (pictured on the campaign trail today) needs to be steered away from his proposal

The MEP was asked about allegations that Tories have offered jobs and peerages to the Brexit Party in return for them standing down at the election to which he laughed and said: 'Sadly, no job was ever offered to me.'

He added: 'I am aware that a number of my colleagues have been pressed. Ann Widdecombe, for example, was offered some sort of negotiating position with the Tory Party, from Number 10, someone from Number 10 called Ann.

'I know there have been lots of conversations going on, and discussions, and pressure has been brought to bear.'

He said he was unable to say how many people had been pressured.

When asked about the Conservative Party's denials - and whether his comments amounted to claiming the Tories are lying when they deny the claims - Mr Habib said: 'I'm saying they're being economical with the truth for sure. Absolutely. It has been going on. Without a shadow of a doubt.'