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Tories feud over pact with Farage
Leadership contender Robert Jenrick speaking at a fringe event during the Conservative Party Conference at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, September 30, 2024

TOP Tories fell out over unity with Nigel Farage’s Reform party at the Conservative conference today.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, now an ex-MP but still a Tory membership favourite, urged an electoral pact with the hard-right Reform.

He told a fringe event that Conservatives should “not oppose Reform in those 98 seats” where it is second to Labour.

“I would certainly be open to that as a real opportunity to Reform to win seats from Labour,” Mr Rees-Mogg said.

“We will not win if we do not reunite.”

However, his plan was immediately shot down by leadership hopefuls Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat.

Answering questions from members at the Birmingham conference, Ms Badenoch said:  “I don’t believe Reform are real conservatives.

“It is now our job to make sure that we squeeze them out — they are parking their tanks on our lawn and we need to get them off.”

Mr Tugendhat also said he was not interested in a pact with Reform, but did leave open the possibility of welcoming former premier Boris Johnson back to parliament.

Another ex-premier pitched in, with Liz Truss telling a fringe event that she would have done better at the general election than Rishi Sunak.

Ms Badenoch told members that she stood between the Tories and death.

The party means “something very special to me and I don’t want to see it die,” she said.

Another leadership aspirant, rightwinger Robert Jenrick, faces two controversies.

First, he has proposed erecting a Star of David at every point of entry to Britain in order to show fealty to Israel.

And he was also under fire for accepting £75,000 in mystery donations.

Spott Fitness, a fitness coaching app provider, gave him the cash despite having no employees, never turned a profit and over £300,000 in debts. 

It has registered a loan from Centrovalli, a Virgin Islands company, which does not have to reveal its ownership.

Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves has written to the Electoral Commission saying: “Donations to MPs must come from sources registered in the UK.

“Mr Jenrick has serious questions to answer about the origin of these funds and their legality.”

Mr Jenrick has insisted no laws have been broken.

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