BELEAGUERED Tory leader Kemi Badenoch admitted today she would not be against councillors forming coalitions with Reform UK after the coming local elections.

“I’m not going into any coalition whatsoever with Nigel Farage or Reform at national level,” she claimed on Sky News. “At local level, it’s different. [Councillors] have to do what’s right for their community.”

Voters in 23 local authorities in England will go to the polls on Thursday to elect new councillors, alongside mayoral elections in six regions.