Badenoch: Tories face new reality of a multi-party era

TORY leader Kemi Badenoch has said the Conservatives are facing the new reality of multiparty politics as she braces for losses in the local elections today.

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She insisted she was leading a “new party” and hoped for some eye-catching successes when results come through tomorrow, but acknowledged that the old era of Tory and Labour national dominance was over.

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK have consistently led national opinion polls for more than a year and are poised to make big inroads in councils across England and in the Scottish and Welsh parliamentary contests.

Mrs Badenoch insisted she would not do any deals with her rivals and claimed her party had been helped by troublemakers defecting to Mr Farage’s party.