14 February 2025 , 21:33
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Sir Edward Leigh, who has been an MP for over 40 years, said the likelihood of a merger between the Conservatives and Reform is ’very high’ and mentioned he has ’no idea’ if Kemi Badenoch will endure
The Tories’ most senior MP says there is a 70% chance his party will merge with Nigel Farage before the next general election.
Sir Edward Leigh, who has been an MP since 1983, also said he has "no idea" whether Kemi Badenoch will still be in charge by then. She has ruled out a deal with Reform UK, but hardliner Robert Jenrick left the door open for a pact if he becomes leader.
The Conservatives are languishing behind Reform in the polls as Ms Badenoch struggles to make her mark. Sir Edward claimed a third of Tory MPs now want to strike a deal with Mr Farage.
He went on to say his party faces being "slaughtered" at local elections in May. Sir Edward, the Father of the House - meaning he is the longest serving MP - told GB News the chance of a merger is "very high".
He said party leaders need to either join forces with Mr Farage or not compete in 100 seats where Reform is in a stronger position in order to keep Labour out. Asked about the chances the two will merge, he said: "Very high - 70 per cent. If not merger, a deal [of some sort]."
He went on: "We can’t just stand against each other in the first past the post system. So I would have at the very least an electoral alliance where we would stand down in 100 seats and let Reform take on Labour, or a full scale merger. And why not?"
Sir Edward said that MPs who backed Mr Jenrick’s leadership campaign would favour a deal with Farage. He said: "I would have that at the bare minimum there would be 44, and if we are still in this bad place in a year or two’s time it will be many more than that, may be half."
Shadow Justice Secretary Mr Jenrick has hinted that he would be open to such an agreement. Asked by The Sun whether the Tories and Reform could agree a pact ahead of the next general election, Mr Jenrick said: “Reform themselves are saying they don’t want to. Reform has said repeatedly they have no intention of doing this. Kemi has said she has no intention."
But he declined to explicitly rule out such an agreement. A Labour spokesperson said: “The cat is out the bag: the Tories won’t rule out doing a dodgy backroom deal with Reform.
“The Conservatives wrecked public services and Nigel Farage plans to charge NHS patients thousands for routine treatments. Just imagine what they’d do together."