Nigel Farage has brutally responded to Kemi Badenoch for suggesting Tory-Reform council coalitions could be formed around the country after the local elections in May.
The Conservative leader left the door open to coalitions of councillors from both parties by urging local authorities to assess if it was “right for the people in their local area”.
Speaking to the BBC, Badenoch ruled out a national deal with Reform UK but explained councillors usually “end up with various coalitions” from all parties, including Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
“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 local area,” she said.
Badenoch’s comment forced Nigel Farage to hit back, saying: “Reform have no intention in forming coalitions with the Tories at any level because the Tories broke Britain nationally for 14 years, and their councils continue to break local communities with the highest taxes ever and worst services.”
Reform is vying to win councils in the upcoming election in less than three weeks, but the Tories have already admitted they expect major losses as the seats were last contested in 2021- when the party enjoyed a high level of support after the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.
The Labour Party chair, Ellie Reeves, 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.”
Daisy Cooper, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, added “you couldn’t put a cigarette paper between Badenoch and Farage when it comes to their policies” and claimed “the Conservatives and Reform have merged in all but name under her leadership”.
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