'A resurgent Reform are a bigger threat to Conservative election hopes than Labour'

SENIOR Tories have warned disillusioned party members that backing Reform UK will propel Sir Keir Starmer into Downing Street.

- Michael Knowles

The rebranded Brexit Party created a fresh headache for PM Rishi Sunak following defeats in two by-elections on Thursday.

Ben Habib took 13% of the votes in Wellingborough, North Northants, while Rupert Lowe won 10.4% in Kingswood, South Gloucestershire.

Labour triumphed in both seats, but former Brexit Party leader and Reform honorary president Nigel Farage said Thursday was "the night Reform came of age".

Former Tory Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg warned that Richard Tice's party posed a bigger threat to the Prime Minister's electoral hopes than Labour.

He said: "More people are switching from Conservative to Reform than are switching from Conservative to Labour.

"We're unlikely to win many Labour voters over, we're not going to win the Greens, but Reform and Conservatives have a lot of values in common." Addressing the Kingswood result in, Sir Jacob said: "If you add up the Conservative vote and Reform vote, that is more than the vote achieved by the Labour Party.

"The challenge for the Conservatives and Conservatism is to reunite the Right wing of politics, because the way we let Keir Starmer in by the back door of Downing Street is if the two parties that should share so many things in common are divided on election day." Senior Tory MP Paul Scully added: "It's clear at the moment that Reform voters are way more motivated to come out and vote than the Conservatives.

"It's something I found when I've been out canvassing in my own area and in other areas, that, at the moment, Conservative voters are saying, please get your act in order.