Kemi Badenoch, a prominent Conservative leader, has strongly rejected the possibility of forming a coalition government with Reform UK, describing such a prospect as 'monstrous'. Badenoch asserted that defectors who left the Conservative Party to join Nigel Farage's Reform UK are among the most dishonest individuals she has encountered.
Speaking at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Badenoch stated her preference for facing another general election in the event of a hung Parliament rather than entering into a coalition with Reform. She characterized the Reform party as unpredictable, citing their shifting policy stances. "Nigel Farage dictates what he wants depending on what he had for breakfast that day," Badenoch remarked.
She questioned the feasibility of collaborating with such individuals, particularly given her own approach to formulating policy. "How do I work with people like that when I am making carefully curated plans and taking a systems-based approach? How do you work with a man who has fallen out with every single person he has ever had to work with in every single party that he has started? I have to win on my own terms," she said.
Badenoch emphasized her desire for a Conservative government formed independently, stating, "What I want is a Conservative government, not a monstrous Reform/Conservative hybrid." She acknowledged that if the Conservatives fail to secure a majority, the country could face political instability, but maintained that her goal is to achieve victory on her own party's platform.
The individuals who have defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK include Robert Jenrick, Suella Braverman, and Danny Kruger.