Kemi Badenoch has ruled out an electoral pact with Reform UK, describing the idea as “stone-dead” after the party’s poor showing in this week’s byelections. Writing in the Mail on Sunday, the Conservative leader also attacked Nigel Farage over the £5m gift he received from a Thailand-based crypto billionaire before the general election.
Badenoch questioned Farage’s acceptance of the money from Christopher Harborne, saying: “What kind of character accepts £5m in cash and says it was merely a gift? Mail on Sunday readers have far too much common sense to believe that.” The gift, first revealed by the Guardian in April, is under investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner.
In Thursday’s byelections, Labour’s Andy Burnham secured a decisive victory in Makerfield with more than 50% of the vote, while Reform came second. In Aberdeen South, the Scottish Conservatives defeated the SNP, with Reform trailing in third place. Badenoch said the results justified her decision not to strike a deal with Reform.
She rejected pressure to “unite the right”, arguing that a victory aided by Reform would have been “no real win at all”. She added: “We are not the same, and voters are not ours to trade like football cards.” Reform UK responded by saying it would never need to deal with the Tories, claiming it has led national opinion polls for over a year.
