Conservative party co-chairman accused Nigel Farage of failure to deliver (Image: Humphrey Nemar)
The Conservative Party has accused Reform UK of pandering to the Left by embracing populism. Party co-chairman Nigel Huddleston believes the core “battle line” between the two parties lies in their shared stance on immigration and low taxation. However, he argued that recent moves by Reform have revealed deeper differences in their core values. Nigel Farage’s call for “a big Government” approach has further widened the gap between the two parties - a stance which Mr Huddleston described as populist and one that undermines Reform’s credibility.
The Tory MP claimed that Reform no longer represents right-wing values, despite originally positioning itself as an “alternative to the Conservative Party.” He added that the party has since shifted its identity, now framing itself as a “pure, straightforward, simple populist party.” According to Mr Huddleston, the key distinction between the Conservatives and Reform UK lies in the latter’s failure to deliver on its promises and its lack of ideological consistency. Reform is “trying to be all things to all men,” he said.
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Reform UK blame the Tories for opening the borders to migration (Image: Getty)
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“I think the behaviour of Nigel Farage in particular and the policies that are coming out are not right wing policies, it's populist.
“It is literally saying anything to anybody in order to get their votes, so to left wing people, you will present them left wing things and to right wing people, you present right wing things.”
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Mr Huddleston questioned the feasibility of Reform’s policies, particularly its attempts to combine low taxes with an expanded state. “Reform cannot be a credible party offering both low tax and big government,” he said, calling the approach populist.
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“It's not conservative. I think we're going to see this over the next few years, and this will be a battle line between us and the Reform party,” he added.
Reflecting on his own party’s 14 years in government, the Tory co-chairman acknowledged past mistakes, including a failure to effectively control immigration. He noted that the Conservatives’ key deterrent - the Rwanda flagship deportation scheme - ultimately collapsed after legal setbacks, and was officially abandoned by Sir Keir Starmer upon Labour’s election victory last year.
Despite its failure, Mr Huddleston defended the policy as a tangible measure, arguing that neither Labour nor Reform UK has presented a viable alternative. He criticised Mr Farage for lacking serious proposals, despite his strong rhetoric on immigration.
“You keep hearing them talk about, we'd stop the boats, we'd turn them around. How? What would you actually do? Would you literally send the Royal Navy out to ram the boats? Would you strafe the boats? Would you blow them up if people fell into the water, what would you do with those people? Would you leave them to drown?” he asked.
A Reform UK Spokesman said: “The Conservatives are the architects of mass open border migration, they opened the borders and allowed millions to enter.
“The Tories started the small boats crisis and broke record after record on legal migration. They quite simply broke Britain.
“The Conservatives are being consigned to the dustbin of history and it cannot come soon enough.”
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The Conservatives currently hold 19 of the 23 councils (Image: Humphrey Nemar)
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On May 1, voters will head to the polls in 23 areas across England, with over 1,600 council seats up for grabs. The same day will also see the Runcorn and Helsby by-election and six mayoral contests across the devolved regions.
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The Conservatives currently hold 19 of the 23 councils, but polling indicates they could suffer significant losses, while Reform UK is expected to make notable gains.
Mr Huddleston admitted the party is “braced for losses on Thursday”, especially in contrast to the “extraordinary high of 2021 when [they] got 66%” of the vote share.
He also acknowledged the public’s continued “angry mood” toward the Conservatives, which he believes is now also being directed at Labour, potentially opening the door for Mr Farage’s party. Despite the expected setbacks, Mr Huddleston remained cautiously hopeful. He emphasised that the outcome is still to be decided and stressed the need for the Conservatives to focus on regaining the trust of the British people.
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