Badenoch calls Reform defectors 'some of the most dishonest people' she has met
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch sharply criticised former party members who defected to Nigel Farage's Reform UK, ruling out any coalition or election deal between the two parties. She said a fresh election would be preferable to a hung parliament resolved through cooperation with Reform.
Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch used an appearance at the Edinburgh festival fringe to launch a scathing attack on politicians who left her party to join Nigel Farage's Reform UK, describing some of them as among the most dishonest people she has ever encountered.
Speaking with host Iain Dale, Badenoch pointed to figures such as former home secretary Suella Braverman and former shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, both of whom defected to Reform. Jenrick, who was sacked by Badenoch after being accused of plotting against her leadership, subsequently branded his former party "rotten" and "failed."
Badenoch argued that many of the defectors abandoned the Conservatives during a low point despite having contributed to the party's troubles themselves, then distanced themselves from the fallout. She said she has no interest in welcoming back "drama queens" and is not entertaining approaches from MPs who may have been contacted indirectly by former colleagues now in Reform.
The Conservative leader again dismissed any prospect of an electoral pact or coalition with Reform UK, describing Farage's party as chaotic and inconsistent in its policymaking. A recent Ipsos poll conducted in late July and early August put Labour on 28% support, Reform UK second with 25%, and the Conservatives third at 18%.
Badenoch warned the country would face difficult times if the Conservatives fail to form the next government, saying she would prefer another general election over what she called a "monstrous" Conservative-Reform hybrid administration in the event of a hung parliament. She said she wants to win on her own terms rather than align with Farage, whom she described as difficult to work with given his history of falling out with colleagues across multiple parties.
Asked whether her stance could pave the way for a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition in a hung parliament scenario, Badenoch maintained that holding a new election would be the better option, insisting there would be no deals struck before or after any vote.
