Would a Tory-Reform electoral pact really be ‘unassailable’?

A new Techne UK opinion poll for The Independent puts Labour, the Conservatives and Reform in what is in effect a three-way tie, on 25 per cent, 24 per cent and 24 per cent respectively. As Michela Morizzo, Techne’s chief executive, observes, the Tories and Reform combined have the support of 48 per cent of voters, twice as many as Labour. It is true that if Tory and Reform candidates stood down in each other’s favour, and all of each party’s supporters voted for a single “centre right” candidate in every constituency, the joint Tory-Reform ticket would win an even more sweeping victory than Labour did last year. This is Nigel Farage’s plan, according to Ben Habib, Reform UK’s former deputy leader, who said: “Nigel’s aim is to set up the best possible negotiating position he can between now and 2028.” If Reform overtakes the Tories consistently in the opinion polls, Farage believes he could negotiate an electoral pact from a position of strength. This would not need an electoral pact, and could include former Labour voters with some “left-wing” attitudes voting for Reform, the Lib Dems, the Greens, or pro-Palestinian independents.