Tories may need Reform coalition, says Ben Houchen
PA MediaThe Conservative Party may need to form a coalition with Reform UK at the next general election to keep Labour out of government, Tory mayor Lord Houchen has said.
The Tees Valley mayor told the BBC 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", saying they "broke Britain".
Asked if he was talking about a potential coalition between the two parties, Lord Houchen said: "I'm talking about the practicalities of keeping Labour out of government."
However, speaking on told BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, he said there was still three years until 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, put forward the Conservative argument so that people don't go to Reform," he added.
Asked by Sky News if she would forbid councillors going into coalition with Reform at next week's local elections in England, Badenoch said: "I'm not going into any coalition whatsoever with Nigel Farage or Reform at national level."
However, she added: "At local level, it's different. In the national election, you can rerun the election, at local level you can't. So, there might be no overall control.
"And what I've said to our councillors, I trust these people, they're very smart, they've been doing this for decades, is that you have to do what is right for your local area."
Farage has previously dismissed suggestions Reform and Tory councillor could enter coalitions but said there could be informal "working relationships" with other parties at a local level.
A Labour Party spokesperson accused the Tories of "using Reform to sneak in by the back door".
The Lib Dems said "Badenoch's authority lies in tatters", with senior Tory figures "openly contradicting her".
"The public is appalled at the prospect of Badenoch doing a grubby deal with Farage," deputy leader Daisy Cooper added.
Lord Houchen warned the Tories were facing "an extremely tough election" on Thursday, when voters go to the polls to elect councillors and mayors in parts of England.
He said they were facing "another right-of-centre party" in Reform UK, which was "eating away" at the Tory vote.
Labour is also facing a challenge from Reform, which has seen its support in national polls grow since last year's general election.
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden claimed it was not "unusual" for governments not to do well in local elections but the party would be "working for every vote".
He told Kuenssberg that Labour had "inherited a difficult situation" but the country was "beginning to see something of a turnaround", with falling NHS waiting lists and the first breakfast clubs opening in schools.
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said she was confident her party would increase its number of councillors for the eighth year in a row.
She told the BBC people felt "let down" by Labour and the Conservatives and wanted to send them a message.
"While some people are looking at Reform for that, a lot of people are thinking, well I don't just want to vote for division and rhetoric, I want to vote for some hard working local Green councillors who are actually going to fix things," she added.
On Thursday, elections will be held for 23 councils, mostly in rural and suburban areas.
There will also be mayoral elections in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Doncaster, North Tyneside, and the West of England and - for the first time - in Hull and East Yorkshire and Greater Lincolnshire.
Meanwhile, a by-election is being held in Runcorn and Helsby, after former Labour MP Mike Amesbury resigned following his conviction for assaulting a constituent.
The Conservatives are defending the most seats in the upcoming elections, which were last contested in 2021 when then-prime minister Boris Johnson was enjoying a surge in support following the rollout of the Covid vaccine.
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