Nigel Farage has told donors he expects a deal or merger between his Reform UK party and the Conservatives before the next general election.
Reform donors told the Financial Times that the leader expected his party to join with or make a deal with the Tories.
One of those who spoke to the FT said Farage had described such an agreement as “inevitable” but that it would take some time because he was wary over making a pact between the two.
But Farage and the Conservative party denied the claims.
“Sometimes people hear what they want to,” Farage told the paper. “After next May the Conservatives will no longer be a national party. I would never do a deal with a party that I do not trust. No deals, just a reverse takeover.”
A Conservative spokesperson said: “Under Kemi Badenoch’s leadership the Conservatives will not be considering any deals or pacts. Reform want higher welfare spending and to cosy up to [Russian president Vladimir] Putin.
“Only the Conservatives have the team, the plan and the backbone to deliver.”
Farage has sought to win over voters from the Conservatives, suggesting the party can no longer be trusted after 14 years in power.
Former Conservatives have defected to Reform, with former minister Jonathan Gullis among the most recent to have joined the party, following Danny Kruger, Nadine Dorries, Jake Berry and Maria Caulfield.
Badenoch has dismissed claims that the Tories could do a deal with Reform, saying earlier this year: “I am the custodian of an institution that has existed for nigh on 200 years … I can’t just treat it like it’s a toy and have pacts and mergers.”
And despite Reform UK’s strong show in the polls, the Conservatives have maintained support from donors, bringing in £6.3m in donations in the first half of the year, according to Electoral Commission data, three times the £2.1m raised by Reform.
A Labour party spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage isn’t even hiding it any more – he’s happy for failed Tories to prop up his party, whether they choose to join Reform or not.
“The Conservatives broke public services and hammered family finances. They and Reform would inflict Tory austerity on Britain all over again, meaning savage cuts to local schools and hospitals.
“This shady backroom plot will send a shiver down the spine of people up and down the country, and shows you simply can’t trust Nigel Farage. Only Labour is focused on cutting the cost of living for families, reducing NHS waiting lists and bringing down the national debt.”
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