Kemi Badenoch torpedoes chances of Tory pact with Farage: ‘No deals with Reform!’ | Politics | News

Despite the grim figures, the Conservative Party leader remained defiant as presenter Susanna Reid challenged him on a potential Reform deal.

Ms Badenoch said: “Absolutely not. This is not the time to talk about any deal. My interest is not in returning for the good of the country, but in getting the country to work.”

Ms Badenoch criticized Reformation for not having a concrete plan, explaining that they were “just saying whoever it is”.

The Tory leader said Reform was “not a conservative party” and said Farage wanted to “spend more money on welfare” while his own party aimed to reduce it. He added that “public spending is out of control.”

He lashed out at Reformation’s “random” policies, saying they talked about “nationalizing Rolls-Royce, nationalizing oil and gas” and that the Conservative Party was “not a party of nationalisation”.

The Conservative leader has painted a bleak picture of Britain’s struggling high streets, saying family businesses are “horrified” by Labour’s plans.

He said: “Our high streets are closing, businesses are screaming.

“I want people to feel a sense of optimism, to feel that hope is coming.”

Ms Badenoch has vowed to abolish high street stamp duty and scrap trade rates in a bid to save England’s dying town centres.

But a spokesman for Reform UK hit back, accusing the Conservatives of being untrustworthy.

He said: “There will be no deal with the Conservative Party, which has led to record mass immigration, crashed the economy and whose leader Kemi Badenoch has been at the center of every disastrous decision in government.

“Conservatives can never be trusted again.”