Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party, has publicly criticized Nigel Farage regarding a £5 million gift he received from a crypto billionaire prior to the upcoming general election. Following poor byelection results for Reform UK, Badenoch declared that any potential electoral pact with the party is 'stone-dead.' She emphasized the importance of character in politics and questioned the legitimacy of Farage's explanations for the gift.
In the recent byelections, Labour's Andy Burnham secured a significant victory in Makerfield, while the Scottish Tories won in Aberdeen South. Badenoch argued that aligning with Reform UK would have undermined the Conservatives' success, asserting that the two parties are fundamentally different and should not be compared or treated as interchangeable.