Farage hints at post-election pact with Conservatives
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has refused to rule out entering a post-election agreement with the Conservatives, just a day after Tory leader Kemi Badenoch explicitly rejected the prospect, reports BritPanorama.
The Clacton MP indicated that while a formal pact prior to the next general election remains “extremely unlikely”, he stated, “After an election, who’s to say?”
His comments came in the wake of Mrs Badenoch’s Conservative Party conference speech, in which she accused Reform of wanting to “take us backwards,” asserting: “To those who say ‘unite the right’, we are not uniting with that.”
This development follows an internal review that concluded Reform did not break electoral law after senior figures had discussions about how to disguise foreign donations. The investigation, triggered by a Channel 4 News report regarding Reform’s funding, acknowledged that two senior figures made statements that were “wrong, careless and in one instance untrue”.
The 27-page report published on Wednesday stated that a proposed £500,000 donation from a foreign source “did not take place” and that Reform had not commissioned polls paid for by undercover reporters.
A spokesperson for Reform indicated that the production company involved in the report, Verbatim Investigations, had “acted unlawfully” and stated the party would pursue “appropriate legal action in due course”.
Mr Farage insisted that the internal investigation was as thorough as an external one and claimed the party would initiate legal proceedings against Verbatim “very shortly”.
Speaking in Accrington, Lancashire, he stated: “No laws have been broken, other than the company that was taken on by Channel 4, and they have clearly broken the law, and we will be issuing legal proceedings very, very shortly.”
Farage also confirmed that two staff members, including his longtime aide Dan Jukes and the party’s head of policy James Orr, remain suspended. He mentioned, “It’s all been reported to the police, and there’ll be an inquiry. I’m not concerned about the outcome, but they stay suspended.”
In a political context, when asked about Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s openness to the idea of rejoining the EU, Mr Farage quipped: “If he wants to fight about rejoining the European Union, then someone please hold my jacket.”
The evolving political landscape reflects ongoing tensions within the UK’s political spectrum as parties navigate their positions ahead of upcoming elections.
