Nigel Farage and Tory peer Ken Clarke (Image: GETTY/Nottinghamshire Live)
Lord Clarke, the former Chancellor and Tory “big beast”, has issued a surprising verdict on Nigel Farage's political prospects, declaring that Reform UK would do "extraordinarily well" if a general election were held today.
However, the famously europhile peer - formery Ken Clarke - stressed that he was "flatly against" the idea of the Conservatives forming a coalition with the party.
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The 84-year-old veteran politician, who served as the Conservative MP for Rushcliffe for 50 years, made his comments shortly after Reform UK topped a YouGov poll for the first time.
The party, which is led by Mr Farage, pushed the Conservatives into third place, sparking discussions about the possibility of a future coalition. Some MPs, including Newark's Robert Jenrick, have been reluctant to rule out cooperation with Reform.
However, Lord Clarke , speaking to Nottinghamshire Live in a wide-ranging interview, was scathing in his assessment.
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Tory leader Kemi Badenoch (Image: Getty)
He said: "Robert seems to have changed extraordinarily.
"He was a perfectly reasonable One Nation Tory when I had him as a political neighbour and got on very well with him. He seems to have suddenly converted to being a Nigel Farage imitator."
While Reform UK’s recent polling success has caught the attention of many, Lord Clarke is unequivocal about a possible Conservative-Reform coalition.
He said: "I'm flatly against it. After Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, I was a rather discontented Conservative myself. If they merge with Reform, then whatever new leadership was doing that would have to persuade people like me to continue to vote for the party."
Robert Jenrick used to be a 'perfectly reasonable One Nation Tory', said Lord Clarke (Image: Getty)
Mr Clarke’s comments came as he reflected on the broader political landscape, particularly following the 2024 general election, which saw Labour, led by Sir Keir Starmer, win a landslide victory.
The defeat has spurred deep introspection within the party.
Lord Clarke said: "I would have been amazed if the Conservative Party had won the last election. "The total collapse and the geographical pattern of the collapse meant it gave an unpopular opponent, Sir Keir Starmer in the Labour Party, an enormous majority because of the way our first past the post system works."
He also placed the blame for the rise of populist movements, including those led by Mr Farage, on global discontent, particularly following the 2008 financial crash.
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Lord Clarke, who finished his time as Rushcliffe MP as an independent after having the Tory whip withdrawn, continued: "I find it almost unimaginable that someone like Donald Trump could become president of the most powerful country in the world on what is obviously a combination of the same views.
"Le Pen is likely to win in France, Alternative for Deutschland is going to do extremely well in Germany and if there was an election now, Mr Farage and Reform would do extraordinarily well."
Mr Clarke also expressed cautious support for Kemi Badenoch, who is the current Conservative leader, and her attempts to turn the party's fortunes around.
Praising her measured approach, he said: "She's going about it the right way. Her caution, not rushing into doing impetuous things. She's got five years to take a party that is absolutely rock bottom and give it a chance of being possibly electable."
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However, he warned that a quick fix was unlikely, explaining: "The public are still very hostile to the Conservative Party.
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"They're very critical of the last years of the last government, and it's no good expecting her to achieve some miracle turn around in the polls in the first few months in the job."
Mr Clarke’s comments reflect a deep sense of unease about the future of the Conservative Party and British politics as a whole. While many Conservatives are looking to reform the party and rebuild their base, Mr Clarke cautions that a continued reliance on populist rhetoric and the politics of protest could deepen the crisis.
He warned: “Until we achieve a good run of economic growth again and can demonstrate that we’re in control of immigration, which are the two big issues that are causing it, we’re going to continue in the politics of anger and protest."