Well, this just got awkward.
Kemi Badenoch has made one thing VERY clear: if the next general election leaves Westminster in a political mess, she would rather send the country back to the polls than cosy up with Nigel Farage and Reform UK.
Yes, really.
The Conservative leader has effectively slammed the door on any potential Tory-Reform deal, saying she would prefer another election rather than work with Reform to get into government.
And with the Conservatives currently fighting to regain support while Reform continues to make waves, this could make the next election even more dramatic.
“Thanks, But No Thanks!”
Imagine the scene.
The election is over. Nobody has won a majority. Parliament is hanging by a thread. Politicians are frantically trying to work out who can form a government.
And then comes Kemi Badenoch with:
“Another election, please.”
When asked whether she would work with Reform UK in a hung parliament, Badenoch made her position pretty clear.
She said that if there were a hung parliament, another election could follow – and when pushed on whether she would actually prefer that option to doing a deal with Reform, her answer was essentially yes.
Talk about choosing chaos!
The Reform Relationship Is Clearly… Complicated
Badenoch isn’t exactly sending Reform UK a Valentine’s card.
She accused the party of being “neck deep in scandal” and argued that joining forces with Reform would simply create one problem after another.
Reform leader Nigel Farage, meanwhile, has previously argued that his party has replaced what he described as the old-fashioned Conservative Party.
So, let’s just say the feeling between the two camps doesn’t exactly scream “let’s work together.”
Badenoch Wants Reform Voters Back
But here’s the interesting part.
Badenoch isn’t giving up on Reform voters.
Quite the opposite.
She wants those voters to come back to the Conservatives.
Her message is basically: if you want a Conservative government, vote Conservative.
The strategy appears to be about convincing voters who have drifted towards Reform that the Conservatives are still the party capable of actually forming a government.
And with polling currently showing the possibility of a hung parliament, that battle could become absolutely crucial.
The Tories Have a LOT to Prove
The Conservatives are still trying to recover from their disastrous performance at the 2024 general election.
Badenoch has been attempting to present a new image for the party, describing it as a return to the “authentic Conservative Party” and promoting a new document setting out the party’s principles.
But there’s a rather large elephant in the room…
The polls.
Badenoch herself acknowledged that current polling suggests a hung parliament and that the Conservatives are only attracting around one in five voters.
Not exactly the political comeback story she’d probably like to be telling.
Still, she insists the Conservatives can win.
And Then There’s Her Big New Policy
As if the Reform drama wasn’t enough, Badenoch also used the Conservative Party conference to unveil a major proposal aimed at younger workers.
The Conservatives are proposing to cut the rate of employer National Insurance contributions for workers aged 21 to 24, reducing it from 15% to 7.5%.
The idea is to make it cheaper for businesses to employ younger people and encourage employers to take on more young workers.
So while the political gossip is flying around Westminster, Badenoch is also trying to convince voters that the Conservatives have a serious economic offer.
But Could Another Election Really Happen?
That’s the million-pound question.
If the next election produces a hung parliament, there could be intense pressure on politicians to find a way of forming a government.
Coalition?
Confidence-and-supply agreement?
Minority government?
Or…
Back to the polls?
Badenoch has made her preference clear.
She would rather let voters decide again than make a deal with Reform.
And that could turn the next general election into one of the most fascinating political showdowns in years.
Because the Conservatives aren’t just fighting Labour.
They’re fighting Reform.
They’re fighting for voters who have abandoned them.
And they’re fighting to convince the country that they’re still the party capable of running Britain.
For now, though, Badenoch’s message to Reform appears to be brutally simple:
Don’t expect a Tory-Reform love story anytime soon.
And judging by the latest comments, if Westminster ends up in another political stalemate, Badenoch would rather press the giant “RESTART ELECTION” button than pick up the phone to Farage.
