Nigel Farage has claimed Conservative members want him to lead the party instead of Rishi Sunak after the Tories suffered two further by-election defetas in Wellingborough and Kingswood.
Mr Farage, who is the honorary president of Reform, told BBC Radio 4: “I think if you asked Tory Party members right now, they’d vote for me to be leader and not Rishi Sunak and that I have no doubt at all and that’s backed up by polling.
“But look, let’s focus on this general election. I’m backing Reform, we’ll have to see what active role I play, and maybe, maybe after the Tories lose heavily, maybe they’ll actually rethink what they actually stand for. Let’s see.
“What we do need in this country is a centre-Right government at the election after this that believes in a small state, encourages entrepreneurship, controls its borders and actually believes in this country. That’s what I believe we need.”
Asked if he was ruling out the possibility of leading the Tories, Mr Farage replied: “At some point in time people like myself and Jacob Rees-Mogg have to be in the same party. Whether that’s Reform, whether that’s the Conservatives, whether that’s something new, I don’t know. But logically, that wing of the Conservative Party and Reform have to be on the same team.”
Reform finished third in both the Kingswood and Wellingborough by-elections as Labour snatched the seats away from the Tories.
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said the Right-wing of British politics must “reunite” in order to stop Sir Keir Starmer entering 10 Downing Street “by the back door”.
Mr Sunak said: “A vote for anyone who isn’t the Conservative candidate, whether that’s Reform or anyone else, is just a vote to put Keir Starmer in power.”
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