Badenoch hints Tories could back a Farage government if Reform falls short
Key Points
- Kemi Badenoch indicated she would back a Reform UK government if Nigel Farage fell short of a majority, provided he pursued conservative policies.
- She implied she would accept a confidence and supply deal but explicitly ruled out any pre-election pact, including standing down candidates.
- Badenoch criticised Reform for holding "left-wing ideas" on benefits, nationalisation and the size of the state.
- She confirmed a casual working arrangement with Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe, praising his work ethic over Farage's.
- Conservative candidates will be required to back leaving the ECHR and scrapping net zero to stand for the party.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has indicated she would be prepared to support a Reform UK government if Nigel Farage fell short of a majority at the next general election, provided he pursued conservative policies.
Speaking in an interview with The Spectator, Badenoch said the country “cannot have another left-wing government” and described the current parliament as the most left-wing the UK has ever had.
Badenoch implied she would accept a confidence and supply arrangement with Reform to deliver a conservative agenda. Under such a deal, one party agrees to back a government in confidence motions and budget votes, while retaining the right to withhold support on individual policies.
However, the Conservative leader explicitly ruled out any electoral pact with Reform before polling day, including standing candidates down or coordinating resources so the two parties could target different seats.
“We don’t need to do a pact,” she told the magazine, adding that such arrangements “end up falling apart anyway”.
Badenoch also criticised elements of Reform’s policy platform, arguing the party holds “quite a lot of left-wing ideas”. She said Reform wants more benefits, more nationalisation and a bigger state, with the only difference being who controls it.
The Spectator reported that Badenoch reserved sharper criticism for Farage himself, contrasting him unfavourably with Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe, with whom she admitted to having a casual working arrangement after he took a Conservative seat on the public accounts committee.
She said she respects that Lowe “turns up for work, which Nigel Farage doesn’t do”.
Badenoch maintained that the Conservatives could still win the next election outright, claiming there is a high chance she will become Prime Minister.
