POLL OF THE DAY: Should Reform UK merge with the Tories? - YOUR VERDICT
Nigel Farage has voiced differing opinions on a Reform-Conservative merger
PA
A new poll has revealed four in 10 Tory members would support a merger of the Conservative Party with Reform UK.
The survey, conducted by YouGov, found that while a total of 42 per cent of Conservative members supported such a move, slightly more members opposed a Tory-Reform merger, at 51 per cent.
The poll has exposed division within the Conservative membership on the future of the party.
Just 12 per cent believed the party should stay where it is ideologically, and 34 per cent thought the next leader should move towards the centre with 51 per cent of members believe that the next leader should move the party to the Right.
POLL OF THE DAY: Should Reform UK merge with the Tories? - YOUR VERDICT
GB News
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, has changed his mind on whether he would support a Tory merger.
In June, he told LBC: "I think something new is going to emerge on the centre-Right, I don’t know what it is called...But do I think I am capable of leading a national opposition to a Labour Party with a big majority where I can stand up and hold them to account on issues? Yes."
However, in the same month, when asked if he could rule out joining the Tories, he said: "Boring! They're done. The brand is done."
Four of the candidates running for Tory leadership have quashed any suggestions of a potential merger with Reform.
Nigel Farage has voiced differing opinions on a Reform-Conservative mergerPAKemi Badenoch, Mel Stride and James Cleverly have explicitly ruled out merging with Reform.
Meanwhile, Robert Jenrick said the Conservatives should aim to put Reform UK "out of business".
Over two-thirds of GB News members who voted in the poll believe that Reform UK should not merge with the Tories, with 67 per cent voting against this.
On the other hand, 29 per cent believe that the two parties should merge, while four per cent are unsure.