"We can... win seats back from the LibDems and Labour by patching up our quarrels with Reform"
ConHome: December 4th 2024: Lord Hannan urges the Conservative Party and Reform UK to put 'country before party' to save Britain
"Nigel Farage is... back on form, tanned fit and lean... the Reform leader is... dominating interviewers, charming voters, and never losing sight of his long-term strategy. Unfortunately for us, his long-term strategy involves crushing the Tories.
...The worst-case scenario... is two or three more general elections won by the Left on a relatively tiny proportion of the popular vote. Can we stop it?
Part of the solution is for the Tories to address the issues that led to the rise of Reform in the first place, above all immigration and culture wars. Kemi Badenoch... is well-placed here. But that is a necessary rather than a sufficient condition. The question of how to deal with Farage – who has been uncomplimentary about Badenoch ever since she was allegedly rude to him – remains.
The Tories and Reform are surprisingly close on policy... At the same time, the parties are geographically complementary... Reform’s best parliamentary prospects are often Labour seats where the Tories have little chance... And don’t worry about losing votes to the LibDems. The LibDem share of the vote barely moved at the last election; indeed, in absolute numbers, it fell slightly...
We can, in other words, win seats back from the LibDems and Labour by patching up our quarrels with Reform..."