Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has come out firing after being accused of opening the door to a coalition with Reform UK.
Mrs Badenoch, who currently registers the best net approval rating of any party leader, firmly rejected the suggestion she was willing to prop up Nigel Farage as Prime Minister.
The Leader of the Opposition claimed it was “b******t” that she had hinted at doing a deal with Mr Farage following an interview with The Spectator.
Mrs Badenoch shared a series of clips from her interview, including on the topics of deals before and after the next general election.
After being asked by The Spectator’s Tim Shipman about the prospect of a post-election deal with Reform UK, Mrs Badenoch said: “This country cannot have another left-wing Government.
“But, I’m afraid, Reform has quite a lot of left-wing ideas.”
However, Mrs Badenoch was a lot clearer on her stance on a pre-election pact with Mr Farage.
“On deals, non-aggression pacts, and so on, these things do end up failing apart anyway,” she said. “I just say, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.”
Kemi Badenoch spoke out about speculation she would prop up Nigel Farage as PM
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However, veteran Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh set out his plan for a Unite the Right alliance at the next general election.
Speaking to GB News, the Father of the House said: “My appeal to you, Nigel and Kemi, is to realise that our policies are almost exactly the same.
“Under a first-past-the-post system, unless we have some sort of alliance, as night follows day, Kemi and Nigel, there will be an even more left-wing Government.
“So let’s work together and be nice to each other, stop criticising each other and realise that we agree on virtually everything.”
Kemi Badenoch also labelled Reform UK ‘quite left-wing’
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The Gainsborough MP, who claimed an alliance is now “inevitable”, added: “I think that Boris treated Nigel very badly. We should have at least said thank you.
“We should have given him a peerage and made him ambassador to Washington. We should have made him Minister for Immigration. You will not find any criticism of Reform by me.”
He suggested the Tories should not stand in seats Reform UK is hoping to snatch from Labour.
The arrangement would likely ensure Reform UK stands down candidates in staunch Tory seats, marking a similar situation to the one Mr Farage adopted as Brexit Party leader in 2019.
Sir Edward Leigh called on Kemi Badenoch to strike a deal with Nigel Farage
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However, Sir Edward did echo Mrs Badenoch’s comments about Reform UK being less right-wing than the Tories.
He said: “My only argument with Reform, by the way, and this is me speaking personally, is that I’m more right-wing than them because I’m a Thatcherite.”
Meanwhile, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg welcomed Mrs Badenoch’s decision to open the door to a coalition.
Sir Jacob, who refused to join his daughter Mary in joining Reform UK, said: “Kemi is absolutely right to give this answer. If we cannot do it on our own we must keep the left out.”
The Leader of the Opposition is hoping for success in Aberdeen South
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GETTYMrs Badenoch’s clarification today did little to abate criticisms after appearing to open the door to a coalition with Reform UK.
A former Tory insider said: “The Conservative Party has given up on winning. It knows it’s now irrelevant and the best Kemi can hope for is to beg Nigel to do a deal with her.”
Mr Farage has also addressed speculation about a post-election coalition between Reform UK and the Tories.
Despite declaring his intention to replace the Tory Party, Mr Farage appeared to adopt a more conciliatory message after the 2026 Local Elections.
He told GB News: “I’m not absolutely ruling out flying to the moon, but it’s not what I want to do, and I find it highly undesirable.”