Nigel Farage says Reform UK is pursuing a “takeover” of the Conservatives as donors suggest he may back a pact unless Kemi Badenoch leads the Tory party.
Farage denied telling funders that an electoral pact was "inevitable," but he did admit that he wants to effectively absorb the party by winning over defectors and replacing it.
“No deals, just a reverse takeover,”
Farage said.
“A deal with them as they are would cost us votes.”
His remarks permitted Labour to imply that Reform and the Tories were ideologically equivalent, with Keir Starmer criticising their "unholy alliance."
Senior Labour sources stated a merger between Reform and the Tories would be extremely beneficial in the local elections, and they would try to depict the two parties as being in each other's pockets.
Reform has accepted more than 21 current and former Tory MPs, whereas no MPs from other parties have deserted, demonstrating the overlap between the two.
Still, the party's deputy leader, Richard Tice, claimed benefactors were" confused" if they assumed Farage wanted a coalition because he wanted to replace the conservatives.
One Reform contributor told the Guardian that they would trust Farage's judgment on whether to pursue a junction with the conservatives, inferring that they would not oppose it.
The conception of a coalition does n't appear doable while Badenoch is in office, with elderly Reform officers fastening more on Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice minister, as a prospective mate.
Another donor told the Guardian that Farage had outlined what a deal with the Conservatives may look like, and the Reform leader did not believe it was possible with Badenoch.
“I believe it will happen and it should happen,”
the donor said, adding that even Conservatives who were potentially sympathetic to the idea of a deal believed it was too early to act now given the fluidity of Reform’s position and structures.
The contributor stated that the Conservatives' only hope of winning alone would be to shift dramatically to the center, most likely under a different leader, and that Badenoch would fail if she attempted to challenge Farage from the right.
Several other Reform contributors indicated they supported Farage's plan of wanting to be the dominant party in the next election, with no decisions on pacts made until after the fight was fought.
With Reform ahead in the past, some top Tory rightwingers feel the party will need to strike a concession with Reform to survive, but it's unclear what such an arrangement would look like.
Options include a pre-election non-aggression pact in which the two parties agree not to contest in specific constituencies, apost-election confidence and force agreement, and indeed a full- fledged coalition to govern.
According to Tory sources, any conversations regarding a pact would have to take place after the election or in private. One opposition cabinet minister stated,
"Reform would not want to discuss it before the election because so many people still dislike the Tories."
Jenrick is said to be among those who believe a deal is unavoidable. In April, a leaked recording showed him vowing to "unite the right" before the next election.
One ally said:
“Rob and Nigel agree on most things but on some Rob issues is to the right of him. Nigel is proceeding cautiously because he wants to be seen as more moderate.”
On Wednesday, Jenrick rejected the idea of defecting to Reform, saying:
“It wasn’t very long ago that I was running to be leader of the Conservative party, so I’m not going anywhere.”
According to Tory strategists, approximately a quarter of their voter base would support Labour to keep Farage out of No. 10, while three-quarters would vote for Reform, with a quarter excited.
What implications would a Reform‑Conservative pact have for the next general election?
By coordinating where each party stands down in certain seats, the pact could avoid unyoking the right- sect vote, thereby adding the chances of defeating Labour campaigners in borderline constituencies where Labour presently leads due to divided conservative support.