A senior Conservative MP has suggested that he hopes Reform UK leader Nigel Farage might have “blown up” by the time of the next general election, dismissing concerns about Reform UK’s growing influence.
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart made the remarks in response to questions about the party’s lack of current policies.
GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope said: “The next general election is a four year wait. Nigel Farage might have amassed AMS in Wales and the MSPs in Scotland.
“He’ll have momentum. You’ll be on the back foot, risking this by just not having policies. You give the head start to Reform UK under Farage.”
Alex Burghart said Nigel Farage might have “blown up” by the next election
GB News
The shadow Cabinet Office minister, Alex Burghart responded: “He might have blown up as well Chris so you don’t take anything for granted there.
“I’m not saying there’s not going to be any policies for four years.
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“I am saying that this is a process by which we have to go out and regain the trust of the British people, listen to people about what the last government got wrong, what this government is getting wrong, and understand the things that are really affecting people’s lives.
“Kemi spoke in there about the fact that we think we’re a rich country, but we’re all feeling poorer.
“Something has gone wrong in the way the economy is working and Labour is making that worse.
“All of these taxes on businesses, all of these taxes on working people, we have to come up with an entirely new way of doing things in the same way that Margaret Thatcher did in the 70s and 80s, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Kemi Badenoch delivered her first speech of 2025
GB News
In her first speech of 2025 delivered earlier today, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch acknowledged her party’s past mistakes while launching a fierce critique of the Labour government.
She pledged that her party would now focus on “telling the British people the truth even when it is difficult to hear”.
Badenoch delivered a stark assessment of Britain’s current situation, declaring “we are all getting poorer”.
She accused politicians across parties of failing to be honest about the challenges facing the nation.
Kemi Badenoch mentioned how Nigel Farage said he wants to destroy the Conservative Party
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In a fiery Q&A after the speech, Badenoch responded to Christopher Hope’s question about teaming up with Reform UK and said: “I will start by saying that Nigel Farage says he wants to destroy the Conservative Party.
“Why on earth would we merge with that? Policies without plans are just announcements.
“What the Labour Party has been doing, what Reform UK is doing is just making announcements.
“We did that as well and people didn’t like it. How well did net zero work? That was the policy. Where was the plan?
“So what I’m saying is that we’re not going to start making promises without plans. Not just going on TV and saying what we would like to do.”
