LABOUR have claimed it is “plain for all to see” that the Tories and Reform UK are preparing to work together, after a top Conservative argued for a “coalition” on the right.
Tory MPs are discussing the possibility of working with Nigel Farage’s party after a leaked recording of shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick revealed his fears that Labour could be re-elected if the right-wing vote is split.
Jenrick, seen as a top contender for Kemi Badenoch’s job, can be heard spelling out the “nightmare scenario” if “sails in through the middle” as a result of the Conservatives and Reform “being disunited”.
He added: “One way or another, I’m determined to … bring this coalition together and make sure we unite as a nation as well”.
However, a source close to Jenrick (below) insisted he was referring to “voters not parties” and that the senior Tory wanted to “put Reform out of business”, the i newspaper reports.
Another party source told the paper: “[Shadow business minister] Greg Smith is a frontbencher and he has said there will need to be a deal before the general election.
“Even Kemi herself has said there needs to be ways of working together at a local level and there are people in Loto [Leader of the Opposition’s office] who are actively talking about a general election pact.”
Badenoch faces a bruising set of English local election results at the start of next month, with Reform consistently polling ahead of the Conservatives.
The i paper reports that senior Tories such as former minister Esther McVey and 1922 Committee stalwart Geoffrey Clifton-Brown have been discussing the prospect of a pact with Reform ahead of the next General Election.
One centrist Tory said: “There is a long way to go before the next general election and an awful lot of variables can change the landscape.
“That said, splitting the right-of-centre vote, which combined comes to a little more than half the electorate, results in the left being let in. The last election showed this with Labour reducing its vote by 550,000, but having a super majority. So Rob [Jenrick] is not wrong to say we need to think about this.”
A Labour spokesperson said: “It’s plain for all to see that the Tories are plotting a grubby backroom deal with Nigel Farage.
“The Conservatives smashed our public services and Farage wants to finish the job and scrap the NHS.
“A vote for Reform risks letting in the Tories in again."
The Tories have officially denied the prospect of a pact in the strongest terms.
A spokesperson for Badenoch said: “These claims are categorically untrue, no one in the Leader’s team is talking about pacts with Reform and it is entirely false to suggest otherwise. As Kemi Badenoch has said repeatedly – including during her campaign to become leader of the party and since – she is working hard for every single Conservative vote and will absolutely not be making any pact with Reform.”
Farage has previously ruled out coalitions with the Tories “at any level” but this week appeared to soften his stance when he said that his party would work with any others, provided that they agreed to audit council accounts, scrap climate change measures and diversity, equality and inclusion schemes.
Labour work in Scottish councils with the Conservatives to keep the SNP out of power, most recently in Angus Council where they have formed a coalition with the Tories and independent councillors.
