Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has firmly ruled out any pre-election agreement with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, insisting that her party will contest the next General Election independently rather than entering what she described as a politically weak arrangement.

The declaration comes amid continuing speculation over whether the Conservatives and Reform could cooperate to prevent further fragmentation of the centre-right vote. With opinion polls suggesting the two parties continue to compete for many of the same voters, some Conservative figures have argued that an electoral understanding could improve their chances against Labour.

However, Badenoch dismissed those suggestions, saying she has no intention of pursuing non-aggression pacts or electoral deals. She argued that such arrangements rarely endure and maintained that the Conservative Party must earn support through its own policies rather than relying on political compromises.

The Conservative leader also highlighted what she sees as fundamental ideological differences between the two parties. While Reform UK often presents itself as the principal force on the political right, Badenoch has argued that several of its policy positions diverge sharply from traditional Conservative principles, rejecting the idea that the parties are natural allies.

Her comments follow months of debate over the future of Britain’s opposition politics. Reform UK has continued to challenge the Conservatives in several elections and has attracted former Conservative politicians, fuelling repeated calls for a united right-wing electoral strategy. Badenoch, however, has consistently resisted those appeals, insisting that rebuilding trust in the Conservative Party cannot be achieved through electoral bargains.

Despite rejecting any formal arrangement with Reform, Badenoch stressed that her wider objective is to persuade voters across Britain rather than simply consolidating support on the political right. She argued that the Conservatives must present themselves as a credible party of government capable of appealing beyond their traditional base.

Some inactive Conservative politicians such as Jacob Rees-Mogg are advocating that, in fact, the right-wing politics in the UK needs Nigel Farage. 

The debate is expected to remain a defining issue as the next General Election approaches, with questions continuing over whether competition between the Conservatives and Reform UK could split right-leaning voters in key constituencies while Labour seeks to defend its position in government.

Photo: X/ @KemiBadenoch, @Nigel_Farage

Tomasz Modrzejewski