Reform UK Chairman Zia Yusuf has firmly rejected any possibility of a merger with the Conservative Party, comparing such a prospect to “Netflix seeking a deal with Blockbuster Video”.
Speaking to GB News, Yusuf dismissed the need for any agreement with the Tories, suggesting instead that the Conservative Party was facing “extinction”.
This week, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch addressed similar speculation during a speech in London.
When asked about a possible merger, Badenoch responded: “Nigel Farage says he wants to destroy the Conservative Party. Why on earth would we merge with that?”
Zia Yusuf has hit out at Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, shutting down any possibility of a merger
GB News / PA
She added: “Nigel Farage has been knocking around for 20 plus years. He has been leading all sorts of different parties so he has had a head start.”
Addressing Badenoch’s comments, Yusuf told GB News: “There is no need for Reform UK to do a deal with the Tories whatsoever. Reform needs a pact with the Conservative Party in the same way that Netflix needed a pact with Blockbuster Video.
“Thanks to the incredible British people and all of our supporters and members across the country, we’re now polling consistently at 25 per cent.”
Citing the polling of Reform UK supporters in comparison to the Tories, Yusuf claimed that the Conservatives “no longer have supporters under 30-years-old”.
Kemi Badenoch distanced herself from working with Reform UK
PA
Yusuf explained: “I think the Tories are going extinct. One data point to prove this is that their support amongst 18 to 25 year olds, where Nigel Farage is polling at 20 per cent, the Tories are down in the low single digit percentages.
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“They virtually have no support in the United Kingdom below 30-years-old. The Tories are going extinct, the only question is how quickly.”
When pressed by host Alex Armstrong on Reform UK’s financial outlook, Yusuf highlighted strong support from both major donors and grassroots members.
The party chairman pointed to involvement from prominent businessman Nick Candy, describing him as “a phenomenally successful businessman, an entrepreneur in his own right”.
Yusuf indicated that Candy is engaging in “incredible conversations” with potential UK-based donors.
Yusuf told GB News that the Tories are ‘going extinct’
GB News
However, the chairman emphasised that grassroots support remains central to the party’s funding model.
“Reform UK is adding an extraordinary number of members, and still the vast majority of our costs as a party, as we go on this incredible journey together, are being met by our grassroots supporters,” he said.
He added: “There’s a lot of enthusiasm amongst donors for Reform UK. Obviously, Nick Candy is a phenomenally successful businessman, an entrepreneur in his own right.
“I can tell you he’s having incredible conversations with lots of people who are eligible to donate in the United Kingdom.”
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