Shadow minister suggests Tory-Reform pact: Badenoch must sack him

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The Liberal Democrats have called on Kemi Badenoch to sack a Shadow Minister who suggested a Conservative pact with Reform, warning that the “wheels are already coming off the Tory local election campaign within hours of it being launched.”

The Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire, Greg Smith, today failed to rule out a future Reform pact in an interview with Talk TV, instead saying that “there may well be a point where the right of centre parties have to play nicely.”

Badenoch repeatedly dismissed Reform when asked about their election campaign in questions from the media in Buckinghamshire this morning.

In an interview with Harry Cole, Greg Smith said it was too early to rule out cooperation with Reform in the 2029 General Election campaign, and also refused to rule out serving as a minister in a Farage-led government.

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said:

“On the very day that Kemi Badenoch launched her campaign in Buckinghamshire, the local Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire has suggested a Conservative pact with Reform.

“The wheels are already coming off this shambolic Tory local election campaign.

“Kemi Badenoch should sack Greg Smith from her front bench, anything less would be an admission that the Conservative Party now wants a deal with Farage and Reform.”
 

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

The comments can be watched back here: https://youtu.be/DFYaNjzI1aI. Smith made the comments at 16:13.