1 week Ago By Aimee Meade
In May last year, Nigel Farage declared that Reform UK was becoming “a brand new conservative movement”. Soon after, his party won a record four million votes at the general election, resulting in five MPs, while the Conservative Party were handed their worst-ever result at the ballot box.The Tories now have a new leader, Kemi Badenoch, but are still struggling to revive the party and see off the threat of Reform.
Both Reform and Farage are polling higher than the Tories and Badenoch.A number of commentators and Tory figures have suggested an alliance between Reform and the Tories could be the boost the Conservatives need.So do the Tories need to work with Nigel Farage? Farage-fan Julie Burchill, former Conservative chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and pollster Holly Day give their perspective.
It’s not that I don’t like Kemi Badenoch. On the contrary, I admire her so much that I once sent her a soppy poem whilst over-refreshed. But do I think she can win the next election without Nigel Farage onside? No.
I believe that Badenoch is capable of setting the Tories on a path that is both sensible and dynamic, but the Conservative brand has become so mired in keeping the desires and fancies of the self-elected ruling-class stage-centre that it will not easily be given the chance to prove its mettle once more. Getting down off their high – albeit pantomime – horse and forming an alliance with Reform UK is the one chance they have of not seeing their party lose again to this Labour Party – a ghastly AI ghost of the People’s Party.if(window.
adverts) { window.adverts.addToArray({"pos": "inread-hb-ros-inews"}); }It is an often-repeated line that Farage is the politician you’d most like to go down the pub with.
Part of this is that he looks like one of the very few politicians – certainly the only party leader – who would know how to behave in a pub. OK, he might wave a fifty at the barkeep if he was feeling flash, but you know he’d always have good solid cash on him – and, unlike the freeloader at No 10, he wouldn’t be looking around ceaselessly to let his rich mate pick up the tab.By setting herself against Farage, Badenoch risks making herself look like one of the scared-silly swots he can make such short work ofIt’s the “everyman” aura Farage gives off that would be most valuable to the Tories.
He’s popular because he’s not a career politician. Like Donald Trump, it doesn’t matter that he comes from money because he says what so many of us want to hear – and wants to put our country first.This comes in handy on the doorstep and with Farage on side, Badenoch – who already seems skilled in the slippery ways of professional politicians – will be much more favourable to voters.
She ranks well behind the Reform leader in the favourability polls and there is something of the prissy prefect about her attitude towards this perceived upstart so far which will not play well on the doorstep come election time.By setting herself against Farage, Badenoch also risks making herself look like one of the scared-silly swots he can make such short work of without really trying; my favourite was when he disagreed with his I’m a Celebrity..
. campmate, the TV cook Fred Sirieix, over Brexit.if(window.
adverts) { window.adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_mobile_l1"}); }if(window.
adverts) { window.adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_l1"}); }We see it over and over again: a population are told that though they live in a democracy, there are people they simply must not vote for.
When the great and the “good” tell the masses not to vote for the bold and the “bad”, the masses very much tend to, no matter how much the establishment would like, in the words of Brecht, to dissolve the people and elect another.The British public are getting increasingly tired of the current inhabitants in No 10. With Farage on side, Badenoch has a chance of kicking them out.
I have frankly no idea what a relationship would look like. But if my much-admired Mrs B doesn’t offer an alliance of some kind to Farage, the people are very likely to send the Tories the way of the Whigs.PerspectivesJust readsquareJulie BurchillThe Tories need Farage more than they want to admitRead nextsquareHolly DayI’m a polling expert – the Tories will lose millions of votes if they team up with ReformRead nextsquareKwasi KwartengI know Nigel Farage – he’s no friend to the Tories.
