Nigel Farage has claimed he does not “give a damn” about who replaces Rishi Sunak as the next Conservative Party leader as the Tories “brand is bust”.
The Reform UK leader, who won his Clacton seat from the Conservatives on July 4, was far from complimentary about the runners and riders to become the next Leader of the Opposition.
After tearing into each of the contenders, Farage simply said: “And the truth is, I don’t give a damn who the next leader of the Conservative Party is. I really don’t. It doesn’t matter who leads them, the brand is bust.”
The four remaining leadership contenders – Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat – have all distanced themselves from working with Farage.
However, they all claim to want to court support from voters who backed Reform UK on July 4.
YouGov revealed that 25 per cent of 2019 Tory voters opted to throw their support behind Reform UK in 2024.
The figure is even higher among 2019 Tory voters who also supported Brexit, with 30 per cent endorsing Farage’s populist party.
Stage set for second day of Reform UK’s annual conference
The stage has been set at the NEC in Birmingham as up to 4,000 delegates prepare for another day of Reform UK’s 2024 conference.
Events kick off at 11am, with a speech from Bridlington Councillor Maria Bowtell following shortly after.
London Assembly Member Alex Wilson will deliver a second speech shortly before a lunch break.
Ahead of a farewell address, former Finnish Deputy Prime Minister Timo Soini and pollster Matthew Goodwin will address delegates.
The farewell speech has been scheduled for 1.30pm and delegates will then have the opportunity to meet regional organisers.
