Kemi Badenoch has appeared to condone the prospect of Conservative councillors forming coalitions with local counterparts in Reform UK.
The Conservative leader has consistently ruled out any national deal with Reform, citing leader Nigel Farage’s pledge to “destroy” the Tories.
But Badenoch has now suggested that the picture is different for Conservatives at a local level.
Asked if she would rule out any deals at national or local level between the Conservative Party and Reform, Badenoch pointed to her “categorical” position that she would not negotiate any kind of pact with the right-wing party as leader.
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“When someone says they want to destroy you, don’t invite them into your house and ask to do a deal”, she said.
But speaking to BBC Breakfast ahead of the local elections on 1 May, Badenoch added: “At local level, we end up with various coalitions. I’ve seen Conservatives go into coalition with Labour, with Liberal Democrats, with independents. You don’t get to have a rerun of an election at local level.
“So what I’m telling local leaders across the country is they have to do what is right for the people in their area, and they must stick to conservative principles, make sure that they’re not compromising on our values and on the things that we believe in – sound money, for example, not excessive government intervention.
“So local leaders are voted by the people in a particular community. They will have to make the choice about what is right for their councils.
“But at national level, no, I was not made leader of the Conservative Party to give it away to Reform.”
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Challenged on this point further, Badenoch continued: “I have said [we are] not doing a deal with Nigel Farage at national level.
“[But] at local level people need to run their councils, local leaders need to decide what to do to run their councils. At national level if we can’t form a government we get to rerun an election. We can’t keep doing that for every single council.”
The remarks risk playing into the Labour Party attack line that Farage’s party and the Conservatives are similar political forces.
A recent social media advert shared by Labour said: “Reform and the Tories are closer than you think. No plans, no solutions, just more chaos.
“Labour is bringing change to Britain. Vote Labour on Thursday 1 May.”
Ellie Reeves, chair of the Labour Party, said that Badenoch’s comments confirm that a vote for Reform is an endorsement of “more of the Tory chaos”.
She said: “Now it’s crystal clear: if you vote Reform or Conservative, you’re opening the door to more of the Tory chaos that held our country back over the past 14 years.
“Kemi Badenoch and her Conservative Party left our NHS at breaking point and Nigel Farage wants to make patients pay for healthcare when they’re sick. Just imagine what they’d do together.
“Only this Labour Government has a Plan for Change that is turning our country around delivering security for working people and renewal for our country.”
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.
Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.
