The final week of the local election campaign begins today. Much of the weekend discourse was dominated by the fall-out from Robert Jenrick’s comments about a potential ‘coalition’ with Reform. Strikingly, Ben Houchen – the most senior Conservative left in elected office – used his appearance on Laura Kuenssberg’s BBC show to suggest that if both parties win seats in 2029 then ‘obviously there is going to be a conversation to form a coalition or some sort of pact’ to keep Labour out.
Now, in one sense, Houchen is correct to say that, in the event of a 2010-style hung parliament, it would make sense to discuss a deal with Reform. The remarks made by the Tees Valley Mayor are likely to mirror many conversations happening this time next week, when Tory and Reform councillors across the country will be forced to discuss power-sharing in authorities where there is ‘no overall control’.
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