UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Kemi Badenoch rules out a national alliance with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK but signals Conservatives can form local coalitions with his party.
Tory leader has confirmed that party councillors are permitted to form alliances with Reform UK in town halls across England.
What did Kemi Badenoch say about deals with Reform UK?
Ms Badenoch, speaking on BBC Breakfast, dismissed the idea of a nationwide pact with Reform, stating,
“Nigel Farage has said he wants to destroy the Conservative party. When someone says they want to destroy you, you don’t invite them into your house and ask to do a deal.”
She said Conservative councillors commonly enter local partnerships, sometimes even with Labour, Liberal Democrats, and independents.
The Tory leader said,
“You don’t get to have a rerun of an election at local level, so what I’m telling local leaders across the country [is] they have to do what is right for the people in their local area.”
Ms Badenoch stated,
“They must stick to Conservative principles, make sure that they’re not compromising on our values and on the things that we believe in – sound money, for example, not excessive government intervention.”
She added,
“So, local leaders are voted by the people in a particular community, they will have to make the choice about what is right for their councils.”
On Thursday, the Tory leader admitted that the upcoming elections would be “challenging” after the party’s “historic defeat” in the last national elections.
Ms Badenoch continued,
“We can’t win everything all the time, but I want people to know that those local Conservatives are working hard for every vote.”
Despite some MPs urging right-wing unity, the Tories and Reform have ruled out the idea of a national pact.
What did the survey reveal about the upcoming local elections?
According to the polling, multiple councils could end up with no overall control on May 1, with Badenoch’s comments opening the door for Tories and Reform councillors to form local coalitions.
Reform UK aims for significant gains in more than 20 councils across England in next month’s elections.
The Tories are predicted to face major losses due to the seats’ last contest in 2021, when the party had support after the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.
What did Ellie Reeves say about voting for the Reform or the Conservative Party?
Responding to Kemi Badenoch’s comments, the Labour party chair, Ellie Reeves, said,
“Now it’s crystal clear: if you vote Reform or Conservative, you’re opening the door to more of the Tory chaos that held our country back over the past 14 years.”
What did Farage say about the possibility of a pact with the Tories?
Last month, Nigel Farage stated,
“There is no pact, there is no deal, we’re not the Conservative party. We’re not Tory-lite. We pretty much despise them for their level of betrayal.”
What does Labour research reveal about Reform UK’s council candidates?
As reported by The Guardian, Labour research showed that more than 60 Reform UK council candidates are former Conservative defectors.
For the 1 May byelection in Runcorn and Helsby, Mr. Farage’s party has chosen a former Conservative candidate, while Andrea Jenkyns, an ex-Tory MP, is their mayoral candidate for Greater Lincolnshire.
What did Michela Morizzo say about the Reform UK and Tories pact?
Michela Morizzo, CEO of Techne UK, has raised concerns about a potential coalition between Nigel Farage’s party and the Conservatives, warning that it would make them “unassailable” in the next election.
She said,
“Once again, this highlights that Kemi Badenoch is still struggling to give her party a strong and well-defined vision. Further to this, it is once again Reform UK who are growing in national vote share to 24 per cent. This is now truly a three-way split for these three parties.”
Ms Morizzo added,
“Finally, one must also note that the centre right of the Conservatives and Reform UK, if placed together, hold an unassailable 48 per cent. What will this scenario lead to? Only time will tell.”