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Robert Jenrick has dismissed the potential for an alliance with Reform UK, expressing a desire to see the party’s leader, Nigel Farage, return to retirement. This statement comes despite earlier comments that implied a willingness to collaborate with the right-leaning party.
As shadow justice secretary, Jenrick offered his support for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, urging her critics to allow her some space to lead. He appeared to distance himself from previous remarks about working with Reform.
In a speech to the UCL Conservative Society in March, Jenrick, who is viewed as a potential successor to Badenoch should the Conservative party’s situation decline further, emphasized the need to unite the party in light of the challenge posed by Reform UK.
However, during an appearance on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Jenrick clarified his stance. He stated, “Kemi Badenoch and I are on exactly the same page. Kemi has been very clear there won’t be a pact with Reform, and I’ve said time and again that I want to put Reform out of business. I want to send Nigel Farage back to retirement.”
He further highlighted the party’s aim to regain the support of voters who shifted to Reform during the last general election, acknowledging their feelings of disappointment with the Conservative party. “We’re changing that,” he remarked, reaffirming the new leadership under Badenoch. He praised her efforts, stating that leading the opposition is particularly challenging after a significant electoral loss. “I think she’s doing a bloody good job in difficult circumstances,” he noted, urging for greater patience from the party’s supporters.
With elections approaching in over 20 councils in England, Reform is strategizing to capitalize on the political landscape.
Nigel Farage has stated that any partnership with the Conservatives, even at a local level, is off the table, criticizing the party for its performance over the past 14 years. He contended that the Conservatives have failed both nationally and locally, resulting in high taxes and poor services.
Later on Friday, Badenoch reiterated the Conservative position against any deals with Reform, dismissing suggestions of pre-election arrangements. “We are not doing a deal with Reform; there’s not going to be a pact,” she asserted. Badenoch stressed the importance of presenting a credible Conservative alternative to voters, emphasizing that the focus should be on service delivery rather than on electoral strategies.
On the day prior, Ben Houchen, the Conservative mayor of Tees Valley, expressed a different viewpoint, advocating for some form of collaboration with Reform UK. He indicated that, for a stable centrist right-wing party to lead the country, some level of integration between Reform and the Conservatives would be necessary, though he was uncertain about the specifics of such an arrangement.
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www.theguardian.com