Keir Starmer Rips Into Idea Of Reform-Tory Pact

Keir Starmer has described the prospect of a pact between Reform UK and the Conservatives as an “unholy alliance of austerity and failure”.

The prime minister was responding to reports from the Financial Times that Nigel Farage had told donors he expected a merger with the Tories before the next general election.

The Reform leader immediately rejected the “ludicrous” reporting, while the Conservatives said there was no chance of a deal any time soon.

However, that did not stop the PM in prime minister’s questions.

Conservative backbencher George Freeman step Starmer up perfectly by noting a deepfake AI video had implied he was joining Reform – but he promised to stay “faithful” to the Tories.

Starmer responded by delivering a blow to both Reform and the Conservatives.

He said: “There’s a lot of [Tory MPs] going [to Reform] three ex-MPs have gone, I think, this week.

“They talk about leaks, that’s where their leaks are going – to Reform.

“I saw a leak on the front page of the Financial Times this morning, apparently the leader of Reform wants to merge with the leader of the opposition and sit down here with them – an absolutely unholy alliance of austerity and failure.”

Starmer also hit back at Tory leader Kemi Badenoch specifically after she tried to tear into the government over the Conservatives’ latest outrage around the Budget.

Badenoch claimed that if chancellor Rachel Reeves were a CEO, she “would have been fired and she might even have been prosecuted for market abuse” over the allegedly misleading Treasury briefings before the Budget.

The prime minister replied: “She’s completely losing the plot.”

He continued: “She says take responsibility.

“Under this chancellor, growth is up this year, defeating the forecasts, wages are up – more since the general election than in 10 years of the Tories, we’ve had five interest rate cuts, NHS waiting lists are down, and we’ve had record investment into this country.

“We’re turning the page of their austerity and reckless borrowing.

“I’d compare that record to them every day of the week.”