James Cleverly campaigners brand Reform 'Extreme Right' in leaked Tory messages

One pro-Cleverly campaigner wrote: “I am here to unite behind James to lead us back to power not to extol the values of the extreme right.”

“As a campaign manager for the GE [general election], the message was clear ‘I will vote for anyone but Conservative, not that I think Reform have [sic] better policies’.”

“At two hustings the Reform candidate did not even know their policies. If you are on the boat please row in the same direction as James!! Or get off.”

Another warned that: “There seems to be some degree of falling into the centre-right/right/ almost Reform [Party] stances across the various WhatsApp chats. Priti's chat I would consider extreme.”

In response to this comment, another Conservative campaigner wrote: “just a less extreme version of Braverman” followed by a laughing emoji.

Tory activists are operating in a series of WhatsApp groups for those supporting the different leadership candidates for the Conservative Party.

James Cleverly’s official campaign have said they have no control of or affiliation with the WhatsApp group James Cleverly For Leader.

Other comments around Reform from the group include describing Nigel Farage’s party as a “one hit wonder” and merely filling “the political vacuum”.

Ben Habib, the former Deputy Leader of the Reform Party, told GB News that both Labour and the Conservatives get “discombobulated when what they regard as “their voters” vote for Reform”.

He continued: “What they haven’t grasped is that Reform attracts any voter that believes in the country and wants it to be proud, sovereign, and prosperous with territorial integrity.”

“So confused are they that they see such people as Far Right. They think a desire to control immigration is racist and reminiscent of extremism.”

“Of course it’s also convenient to categorise Reformers as Far Right. Doing so rubbishes us.”

“But I have news for James Cleverly and his team, the vast majority of “Tory voters” are inclined to Reform.”

“Either he and his party wake up to putting the UK first or they face political extinction.”

James Cleverly is one of six Conservative leadership candidates vying to take over the party following its disastrous electoral defeat in July.

Nigel Farage’s Reform Party won four million votes and five MPs, while the Conservatives lost nearly half of their votes from the 2019 general election.

Robert Bates, Research Director at the Centre for Migration Control, said: “This is exactly the kind of sentiment you would expect to see amongst those backing James Cleverly.”

“They have nothing but utter contempt for the views of those on the right of the party and those millions who backed Reform.”

“There is no plan to “unite the right” here, he is simply throwing out banal platitudes, designed to appeal to Lib Dem backers and the Conservative Parliamentary Party, which, at this stage, are basically one and the same anyway.”

Bates continued: “The policy lacuna at the heart of his campaign is indicative of a man without a single principle or conviction to his name.”

“Every leadership contender should be setting out, in detail, how they plan to reverse the mass migration disaster that they have burdened Britain with.”

“Cleverly and his team do not possess the nous to do this, and therefore find it much easier to simply shirk the conversation altogether.”

A spokesperson for James Cleverly’s campaign said: “This is a public chat, and does not represent the position of James or the campaign.

“If our Party is to win the next election it must unite over our Conservative values to win back voters that left us in 2024. James Cleverly is the best placed candidate to do that.”