The Conservative Party may need to form a coalition with Reform UK at the next general election to keep Labour out of government, Tory mayor Ben Houchen has said.
The Tees Valley mayor stated that if the number of Tory and Reform MPs “create a significant majority,” then “obviously there’s going to be a conversation to form a coalition or some sort of pact.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has ruled out a coalition with Nigel Farage’s party at a national level, arguing Reform is seeking to destroy the Tories.
A Reform UK spokesman said the party had “no intention of forming coalitions or pacts with the Tories,” accusing them of having “broke Britain.”
When asked if he was discussing a potential coalition between the two parties, Houchen replied: “I’m talking about the practicalities of keeping Labour out of government.”
However, he noted there was still time before the next general election for the Tories to “battle” Reform. “Kemi Badenoch and the Conservative Party have a huge amount to do to regain that trust and put forward the Conservative argument so that people don’t go to Reform,” he added.
Badenoch, asked if she would forbid Tory councillors from forming coalitions with Reform in next week’s local elections in England, said: “I’m not going into any coalition whatsoever with Nigel Farage or Reform at a national level.”
However, she added that at the local level, the situation was different. “At local level, you can’t rerun the election, so there might be no overall control. I trust our councillors to do what is right for their local area,” she said.
Farage has previously dismissed suggestions of formal coalitions but acknowledged potential informal “working relationships” with other parties at a local level.
A Labour spokesperson accused the Tories of “using Reform to sneak in by the back door,” while the Lib Dems claimed Badenoch’s authority was in tatters, with senior Tories “openly contradicting her.”
Houchen warned the Tories were facing “an extremely tough election” in the upcoming local polls, where Reform UK is “eating away” at their vote share. Labour is also facing a challenge from Reform, which has grown in national polls since the last general election.
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden acknowledged that governments often struggle in local elections but said Labour was “working for every vote.” He pointed to falling NHS waiting lists and new breakfast clubs in schools as signs of progress.
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer expressed confidence in gaining more councillors, saying voters felt “let down” by Labour and the Tories. “While some are looking at Reform, many want to vote for hard-working local Greens who will actually fix things,” she added.
For more political updates, visit London Pulse News.
