Could Reform and the Tories form an electoral pact?

As if 2024 hadn’t been packed full of elections, eyes are already moving to next year’s local polls – and it seems some quite interesting conversations are taking place. According to Bloomberg, it transpires that Tory and Reform party branches in parts of the country have held discussions about working together in next year’s council elections to push out Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour lot. And so the plotting recommences…

According to reports, talks have included the idea that Conservative associations could stand down candidates in certain areas where Reform might be better placed to defeat Labour – while Nigel Farage’s lot would return the favour where the Tories stand a better chance. Officially, both the Tories and Farage’s Reform party are opposed to an electoral pact and as such this plan has not received the endorsement of those at the top of each party, with sources talking to Bloomberg on the condition of anonymity.