Badenoch ‘unlikely to apologise’ in Reform numbers row

Kemi Badenoch is not likely to apologise after she accused Reform UK of publishing a “fake” membership count online, the shadow home secretary has suggested.

Asked whether the Conservative leader will say sorry for a row about the ticker showing rising Reform membership, Chris Philp told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News: “I don’t think so.”

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage used rallies on Friday and Saturday to declare Ms Badenoch’s North West Essex seat a target area for his party at the next election.

Allegation

After Reform published a membership counter online, Ms Badenoch alleged on Boxing Day it was “a fake, coded to tick up automatically”.

Mr Philp said: “She obviously had information that she based her comments on.

“You know the most important facts are, since the general election, there have been I think 175 council by-elections. We have won seven times more of those than Reform.

“We’ve won about 50, they’ve only won I think seven. We’re winning seats from Labour, Labour are losing seats to us.”

Sky News has reportedly verified the counter’s legitimacy.

The shadow home secretary added: “I’m not going to offer an opinion one way or another because I haven’t seen the evidence.”

Apology

Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice told the same programme: “The thing about legal action is you have to prove harm. The truth is that Kemi Badenoch has helped us, so we’re sort-of thanking her.

“But what we’d like is an apology. I think Chris Philp has just confirmed we’re not going to get an apology, so instead, what Nigel announced yesterday is that we’re going to instead make her constituency a key target seat for Reform at the next general election.

“We think that might focus the mind of the leader of the Opposition actually on what really matters, and that’s what voters think.

“I think voters are appalled at the suggestion that we were not being truthful about our membership numbers.

“Look, we all make mistakes, even you, Trevor. When we make them, the simple answer is just apologise and move on.”

Ahead of Saturday’s rally at Chelmsford City Racecourse in the North West Essex constituency, Mr Farage told his supporters in Leicester on Friday that the “gloves are off”.

He said: “It’s all well and good saying ‘sue her’, but you have to prove actual harm. She hasn’t harmed us. She’s given us tens of thousands more members.”