The Conservative Party has snubbed Nigel Farage’s plan to launch a legal challenge against Labour’s decision to postpone elections until 2028.
Last week, Sir Keir Starmer announced that four mayoral contests would not take place next May as originally planned in order to give the Government more time to restructure local Government.
The decision would snatch the chance to vote from five million Britons across England, including Greater Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Sussex and Brighton, and Norfolk and Suffolk.
In response, the Reform leader announced plans to pursue a judicial review action against the Government decision to delay elections.
GB News presenter Camilla Tominey asked Shadow Transport Secretary Helen Whately if the Tories would give their back to Nigel Farage’s plan to launch legal challenge against the cancelled mayoral elections.
However, the Tory refused to side with Mr Farage, merely citing Kemi Badenoch’s and James Cleverly’s criticism of Labour.
“They have both said that we think the Government was wrong to cancel these elections. They shouldn’t be denying democracy.
“We’ve been quite clear that we disagree with the Government on this.”
The Tories refused to give their backing to Nigel Farage’s plan
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PA/GB NEWS
But her response did not appear to satisfy Camilla, who then went on to unleash a furious tirade about the “assault on democracy” by denying the vote to millions across England.
“As the Opposition party, you should be throwing your weight behind any legal challenge. This is an assault on democracy,” she raged.
“Voters will argue this is shocking. Five million people out from having their say in those areas of the south of England.”
But Ms Whately stood steadfast in her view, adding: “Well, I’m not going to jump on Nigel Farage bandwagon and say I’m a Conservative MP, not a member of Reform.
Nigel Farage welcomed the newest addition to his team north of the border at the weekend
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GB NEWS“I’m supporting Kemi Badenoch as my leader, holding the Government to account. Nigel Farage, I’m sure, will do things his own way.”
Mr Farage made the declaration after polling indicated Reform would have stormed to victory in all four contests if they were to go ahead.
latest polling in the areas that will be affected have revealed Reform candidates would have won each mayoralty.
In the same places, Labour’s electoral projection is far from the same shiny victory.
YouGov’s latest constituency-level polling, mapped onto the area covered by the brand new Essex “mayoral combined county authority”, Reform UK would lap up 34 per cent of the vote share, The Telegraph has found.
Reform also found similar success in Norfolk and Suffolk, projected to win 34 per cent.
Their success was less prevalent in Hampshire and the Solent, where their vote share sat slightly lower on 27 per cent, with the closest race being in Sussex and Brighton, with Reform only taking a quarter of the vote.
The Liberal Democrat candidate for the region has been estimated to be hot on Reform’s heels on 22 per cent.
Meanwhile, the party’s policy chief Zia Yusuf dubbed it a “blatant attempt to stop big wins” for the populist party.
The Clacton MP’s proposed legal challenge came just a few hours after Reform welcomed its first peer to its party ranks after Lord Offord of Garvel defected from the Tories.
Formerly a treasurer for the party and having served as a minister in the Scotland Office, the ex-Conservative brings extensive experience from his Tory days.