Suella Braverman has told GB News that Nigel Farage should be welcomed into the Tory fold.
The Reform UK leader presided over a strong showing for his party at the General Election as they ate into a significant portion of the Tory vote share.
It has led to calls for right-wing factions in Parliament to ‘unite’ by convincing the influential Farage to bolster the Tory ranks.
Braverman said she would welcome anyone willing to support the party.
Suella Braverman says Farage would be welcomed into the Tory fold
PA / GBN AMERICA
“I would welcome anybody in the party who wants us to win”, she said.
“Someone who supports the Conservatives, who will support Conservative candidates and councillors and support our efforts to win elections.
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“We can’t turn away supporters right now. We need allies and we need friends - and boy, do we need them.”
Braverman, who is yet to confirm whether she will stand to become the next Tory leader, said Parliament has room for just one right-wing faction and the party should be more sensitive to the arguments put forward by Reform.
“My analysis of British politics is there is only room for one centre-right party, at the moment we have two”, she said.
“That’s why Reform poses an existential threat to us right now. As long as Reform continues to exist in the way it is and take away millions of voters from our base, there is no chance we will win elections.
Nigel Farage's Reform has five MPs after eating into the Tory vote share
PA“There’s very little I disagree with when it comes to Nigel Farage and I met thousands of people throughout this campaign and many told me they are a lifelong Tory voter, but they will vote Reform.
“They are feeling betrayed, they feel let down and politically homeless because of our failures. We have to address the issue of Reform. I am not really interested in the form that takes, but we have find an accommodation with Reform and Nigel Farage so we can take the fight to Labour.”
Farage has previously talked down the prospect of joining the Conservatives, telling Sky News before the election he wants “nothing to do with them”.
His party was a key contributor the Tories’ demise at the election, with the party down to just 121 MPs.
Suella Braverman spoke to Steve Edginton on GBN America
GBN AMERICA
The Conservative vote dropped from 13.9m at the last election in 2019 to just 6.8m.
Reform UK platformed on a variety of issues like a freeze on “non-essential immigration” and scrapping net zero rules before winning 4.1m votes and five MPs.
Braverman refused to announce any leadership decisions on GB News during her interview with Camilla Tominey at the weekend, but she is one of the candidates many have backed to do so.
Alongside the former Home Secretary, other possible leadership contenders include Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat and Priti Patel.
Click this link to watch Suella Braverman's interview in FULL