British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will say on Monday that only his Conservative Party can challenge a Labour-led government and that a vote for Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK would hamper his party’s chances of forming a strong opposition.
By admitting defeat ahead of Thursday’s election, Sunak would appeal to voters on the political right who are considering voting for Farage’s party in protest against his Conservative government.
The Conservative Party looks set to be voted out of power after a tumultuous 14 years in office, which included Britain’s decision to leave the European Union in 2016, the Covid-19 pandemic and a collapse in the cost of living following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Opinion polls consistently give Keir Starmer’s left-wing Labour Party a lead of around 20 points, with support for Reform likely to split the right-wing vote, and the centrist Liberal Democrats likely to further erode Conservative support.
Sunak will tell a rally that the Reform Party “will not win enough seats to oppose Labour”, adding that the party had previously said it would be good to have a handful of members elected to parliament.
According to excerpts from his speech, Sunak will say, “Just imagine: hundreds and hundreds of Labour MPs being opposed by just ‘one, two, three, four, five elected MPs’.”
“A Labor government would be bad for our country, and an unchecked Labor government would be a disaster that would take decades to recover from.”
Farage is one of Britain’s most high-profile and divisive politicians. He has railed against the establishment and the European Union for decades and in recent years has campaigned for Donald Trump in the United States.
He entered the election in early June vowing to replace the Conservative Party as the main party of the right.
Polls show that Reform’s support peaked in the second half of June, when Farage said the West had provoked Russia into invading Ukraine. Some of their candidates have been dropped for racist or inappropriate comments.
Because of Britain’s electoral system, Reform could receive millions of votes, but the party is unlikely to win more than a handful of parliamentary seats. But it could be enough to split the right in many areas and give Labour a victory.
Britain will likely elect a left-wing government as much of Europe moves to the right, including France, where Marine Le Pen’s right-wing National Rally won the first round of parliamentary elections on Sunday.
With polls showing many voters are undecided, Sunak will make a final appeal to people to limit the power of the Labour Party if it comes into government, saying: “We Conservatives will stand up for you and make sure your voice is heard, your values are represented.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)