October 8, 2025 - 4:25pm
Prominent Tory politicians throughout this week’s conference have tried to reposition their party as the only center-right economic force in Britain. And that is how they plan to take on Reform: by calling their rivals Left-wing.
In her leader’s speech today, Kemi Badenoch accused other parties of desiring irresponsible rises in Government spending. “Let’s look at what is on offer out there for all those disappointed by Labour,” she said. “Reform promising free beer tomorrow, Jeremy Corbyn promising free jam, Lib Dems promising free lentils. All of them promising more spending, blowing up the public finances.”
She went on: “Whether it’s Starmer, Farage, Corbyn or Davey, all these men are shaking the same magic money tree […] More government, more taxes, more debt. It is irresponsible, it’s cynical and it’s why Britain needs Conservatives back in charge.” The phrase “magic money tree” was famously used by Theresa May in 2017 in her attempt to convince voters that Corbyn’s policies were uncosted and unaffordable.
Earlier this week, Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly said that while Nigel Farage is not “a racist”, he “is a socialist”. According to Cleverly, “the second that [Farage] thinks there are more votes to be had in disillusioned blue-collar workers who want state subsidies and state handouts, his Thatcherite-Reaganite instincts desert him.” In a similar vein, Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott told the BBC’s World at One yesterday that Reform UK is a “socialist party” and “further to the Left than Jeremy Corbyn”.
These parliamentarians seem to have been influenced by Times columnist and recent Tory convert Matthew Syed. On Monday, he told the conference that while “Reform UK is described as Right-wing, I want to suggest to you that this shows how far British politics has swung to the Left”. Syed claimed that Farage “wants to nationalize the commanding heights of the British economy, remove the two-child limit, [and] indulge in other giveaways of stunning profligacy”. He added that Reform’s proposals “are way to the Left of the Corbyn-McDonnell manifesto of 2017”.
In its manifesto, Reform has indeed pledged to scrap the two-child benefit cap, as well as reinstating the winter fuel allowance and increasing the income tax personal allowance to £20,000, up from its current threshold of £12,570. In May, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) claimed these policies could cost between £50-80 billion a year and would be funded by spending cuts. In its 2024 manifesto, Reform claimed it could save £30 billion per year for the next 25 years by scrapping Net Zero, which would entail ending subsidies for renewable energy. The party also claims it can save £50 billion from cutting waste in the Civil Service and across Government spending, as well as £35 billion by stopping paying the interest on Government debt.
New polling from YouGov this week suggests that nearly two thirds of Conservative members want a pact with Reform UK, and almost half of them would support a full merger. Will painting Nigel Farage as a socialist help the Tories win back their disillusioned base?
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