"To those who say unite the right, we are not uniting with that.” These were Kemi Badenoch’s words to Tory party members at their conference just a couple of weeks ago.
She was commenting on the suggestion, made by some within her party, that the Conservatives should ally themselves with Nigel Farage’s Reform.
Since then, we’ve seen reporting from ITV news that has revealed the widespread extent of virulent racism, sexism, and chauvinism within the right-of-right wing party. Undercover reporters successfully captured Reform councillors, candidates, and members making disgusting comments on hidden cameras.
This being revealed just the month after Channel 4 reporters recorded Nigel Farage celebrating illicit foreign donations in a pub garden. Reform’s reported culture of bigotry, alleged financial misconduct, and recent flirtations with the American-style evangelical right are topics of constant discussion.
Firstly, because they don’t seem to have much impact on the beliefs of Reform’s core supporters. Secondly, because they force a re-evaluation of Reform’s right-wing rivals: The Conservative Party. Scandal after scandal prove that Badenoch was right to steer clear of Reform, the Conservative’s greatest selling point is their legacy.
The Conservative party is one of the most successful election-winning machines in the history of Western democracy. A flirtation with the allegation mired Reform could go a long way to undermine that record with traditional, moderate, Tory voters. 14 years of perceived disaster and incompetence have also undermined that record, but Badenoch can’t fix that now.
Farage’s Reform party is a frightening concept for many. The two historically major parties see this.
At Prime Minister’s Questions Andy Burnham congratulated Badenoch for her conference speech, adding his voice to hers as they criticise the political culture that Reform has given rise to. In response to the ITV undercover investigation Burnham commented that we have “allowed a poison into our politics” and implored the Reform party to take action against the members caught in the report.
Unity in the political mainstream is good, the argument for consensus goes, certain shared values are essential for ‘good-faith’ debate. The unique dangers of Reform to these parties has been to disrupt political norms; a pursuit of shared values could allow the mainstream to build back to that normal.
Reform’s rhetoric and behaviour risks forcing public perception of the Conservative Party towards one of professionalism and moderacy by comparison. After austerity, Brexit, Covid, and Truss many on the left find it easy to point at the Tories and say, ‘finally, they’re gone.’
Now, the conduct of Reform forces voices on the left to root for the Conservatives to win back the right-wing vote. The situation for right-wing moderates is more severe. Young people, many being students, spend their entire lives aware of politics under successive Tory governments.
Their ideas of the Tory party are built on that memory: Brexit stripped this generation of opportunities, Covid of experiences, Tories held parties in Downing Street while hospital wards filled.
The Conservative government’s legacy is one of disaster for these young people.
Now, Conservatives pose the only meaningful alternative, to right-wing voters, to a party mired in controversy surrounding a culture of bigotry and accusations of misconduct.