Reform UK blasted as top Tories issue huge warning over Brexit and rejoining EU

 

Reform UK blasted as top Tories issue huge warning over Brexit and rejoining EU

 

The Tory warning comes as the Nigel Farage-linked party is surging in the polls with a general election expected later this year.

 

By STEPH SPYRO, Environment Editor and Senior Political Correspondent , KATIE HARRIS, Political Reporter

18:24, Fri, Mar 29, 2024 | UPDATED: 21:06, Fri, Mar 29, 2024

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1883131/reform-uk-conservatives-brexit-eu

 

Lee Anderson issues huge prediction after joining Reform

 

Sir Iain Duncan Smith has warned that voting for Reform will only push Britain back into the grip of the European Union.

 

The former Tory leader said Richard Tice’s party will “simply strip votes away” from the Brexit agenda and give Labour a majority government to “bulldoze” legislation through Parliament.

 

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has told how he would build a closer trading relationship with the EU if he wins the next election.

 

Sir Iain told the Daily Express: "As someone who voted against the Maastricht Treaty in the 1990s, and against every single additional treaty following that, and as someone who was deeply involved in the Brexit campaign, I understand the frustrations that many feel. They are concerned

 

"That the pace of change has not been as they had hoped.

 

"Whilst a number of significant things have been delivered, there is yet more to be done to take advantage of the flexibility and independence that Brexit provides.

 

"However, despite that frustration, we need to look at the reality of what could happen at the next election.

 

"Any vote for Reform is taking away only from the Tories, helping Labour re-enter the European Union and if you want to align closer to Europe - as Labour plans to do - if you want to have an unsustainable rush to net zero with extra taxes and regulations then Labour will be able to bulldoze anything they want through.

 

"All of the things that Reform stands for will be lost. The only hope they've got is a Conservative Party that gets on and does what is necessary. To do that, they need another mandate."

 

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps warned that "a vote for Reform is a vote for Labour" and risks "irrevocable damage" to Britain.

 

The Tory MP for Welwyn Hatfield said: “As Conservatives we stand for decency, for helping Britain’s hard working families, for providing fairness and opportunity and for protecting this country and our allies.

 

"This year will see a generation-defining General Election which will shape the UK for decades to come.

 

"If Labour gets into power, they will cause irrevocable damage to our economy, to our communities and to the fabric of the society we cherish.

 

"Conservative voters should know how important it is that we stand together. We have a plan and it is working. Labour has no clue, no plan and would take us back to square one if they won power.

 

"For people considering a protest vote for Reform or others, remember that only the Conservatives can change this country for the better, not a party that will only ever be able to shout from the sidelines."

 

A YouGov poll has put Reform on track to get 16% of the vote, with the Tories on 21% and Labour on 40%.

 

But Common Sense Minister Esther McVey warned anyone who votes Reform is giving Sir Keir the keys to Downing Street where he will be able to “implement a socialist agenda with impunity.”

 

Esther said: “There are two ways of ensuring we have a Labour government after the next election - one is by voting Labour and the other is by voting Reform. Is that really what Reform voters want to be inflicted upon the country?”

 

She added: “The fact is that at the election there will either be a Conservative government or a Labour government led by Sir Flip Flop and Angela Rayner. Does anyone really think taxes will be lower under them? Does anyone think immigration will be lower? That they will be tougher on crime?

 

“Of course not. We all get frustrated, but an election is a clear choice. Anyone who votes Reform is handing Starmer the keys to Downing Street where he will be able to implement a socialist agenda with impunity.”

 

The Tory MP for Tatton accepted that the Conservatives have not managed to achieve all the pledges of the party’s 2019 manifesto.

 

But Damian Green MP told how his party had cut national insurance, halved inflation, and got the economy growing.

 

He added: “But, most importantly, we are protecting our borders and getting flights off to Rwanda.

 

“Reform is only focused on stoking division among society, not prioritising the needs of this country. A vote for them is a vote for the damaging consequences of Keir Starmer and Labour’s inexistent plan for the nation. Only the Conservatives can deliver for the people.”

 

During a gathering of local party members in Salisbury last week, Tory MP Danny Kruger told the New Conservatives group that the party brand had become "somewhat tarnished".

 

He added that Reform has been “absolutely killing” the Tories and he was "very, very worried" about its growing support.

 

Mr Kruger was heard being asked about Reform and whether the Tories should work with them.

 

According to the leaked recording, he said: "I don’t think there’s any chance of working together [with Reform] because they’ve ruled that out very, very recently and publicly, and I think genuinely their ambition is to replace us.

 

"They want to destroy the Conservative Party. They think the obstacle to Conservatism is the Conservative Party. And I kind of get what they’re saying. Because in many ways it is, we’re not a very conservative party in lots of ways."

 

Labour has demanded that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak publicly rule out offering Nigel Farage a deal in exchange for not standing for Reform UK at the general election.

 

It follows reports that some Tory MPs, nervous about the threat of Reform, have urged the PM to make Mr Farage the UK’s ambassador to the US or hand him a peerage to prevent him from boosting Reform’s campaign.

 

A Reform spokesman rejected the reported proposal as an “electoral bribe” and a sign of the Tories’ “desperation”.

 

Reform has recently seen former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson defect to its ranks