Kemi Badenoch has ruled out any electoral alliance with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party following the latter’s disappointing results in last week’s by-elections. In a statement published Sunday, the Conservative Party leader underscored clear ideological and strategic differences between the two parties, asserting that voters are not commodities to be exchanged through political deals.
Badenoch criticized Reform UK for advocating policies she described as inconsistent with traditional conservative principles, including support for expanded government spending, nationalization, and what she labeled as unfunded giveaways. “Reform dress like Thatcherites but act like Corbynites,” she wrote, drawing a sharp contrast with the Conservative Party’s approach.
The remarks came in the wake of Labour Mayor Andy Burnham’s decisive victory in the Makerfield by-election on Thursday, where he garnered 55 percent of the vote. Reform’s candidate, Robert Kenyon, secured 35 percent, while the far-right Restore party, led by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, took 7 percent. The Conservative candidate finished with only 2 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, in Scotland, the Scottish Conservatives achieved a notable breakthrough by winning a Westminster by-election in Aberdeen South, taking the seat from the Scottish National Party (SNP) for the first time in more than 50 years.
Badenoch emphasized her commitment to broader national unity over attempts to consolidate the right-wing vote through electoral pacts. “Farage may be trying to unite the Right, I am trying to unite the country,” she stated. Her comments come amid mounting pressure and internal debates within Labour over Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership following Burnham’s rise. Reports indicate that Starmer faces increasing calls to set a timetable for his resignation, with some party insiders describing his frustration over Burnham’s growing prominence as “volcanic.”
Sources close to Burnham say he is scheduled to meet with Starmer to present a list of approximately 200 MPs backing his leadership ambitions, seeking to persuade the current party leader to step aside. Labour insiders suggest that the party’s immediate focus has shifted to the potential composition of Burnham’s Cabinet should he assume leadership.
Within Reform UK, internal tensions have escalated following the emergence of Restore, which siphoned votes in Makerfield and complicated Reform’s electoral prospects. The dispute reportedly involves Reform’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf and has included allegations of bullying and misconduct against former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, who now leads Restore. While Reform leadership defends Yusuf as a key figure, Lowe and his supporters criticize the party’s management.
Despite these divisions, Reform UK maintains confidence in its national polling standings and insists a formal arrangement with the Conservatives is unnecessary. Badenoch dismissed the idea that rejecting electoral cooperation could enable Left-wing coalitions, arguing instead that the best strategy is to build a Conservative majority that appeals beyond the Right. She characterized calls for a “unite the Right” pact as an attempt by Reform to push Conservatives out of contests they believe they cannot win independently. “Well, we can,” she affirmed.