- Kemi Badenoch rejects an electoral pact with Reform UK party.
- The Tory leader criticises Nigel Farage over a £5m gift.
- Recent by-election results impact Labour leadership and party alliances.
Kemi Badenoch has explicitly rejected a deal with Reform UK. The Tory leader questioned why Nigel Farage accepted a £5m gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before becoming an MP. Such funding was reportedly for security or a Brexit reward.
The parliamentary standards commissioner is now investigating if this money was properly declared. Badenoch suggests that nobody gets £5m in their pocket for nothing despite the claims made by Farage. She argues that character is tested when things get tough.
Badenoch rules out a deal with Reform UK
Recent by-election outcomes have made any potential pact stone-dead in the eyes of the Conservatives. In Makerfield Andy Burnham won by over 9,000 votes against Robert Kenyon. This result suggests a likely departure for Keir Starmer as prime minister.
Badenoch had faced heavy pressure to unite the right. She believes that Reform UK dress like Thatcherites but act like Corbynites in their approach. This distinction makes a formal alliance between the two parties completely impossible for her.
The Scottish Tories secured a victory in Aberdeen South beating the SNP. Badenoch asserts that a deal would have diminished this win. She claims that voters are not ours to trade like football cards in political games.
A Reform spokesperson stated that they will not deal with Tories. They claim the Conservatives broke Britain and that Reform has led national opinion polls for a year. This creates a deep divide between the two right-wing factions
