Election latest: Farage told to ‘shut down Reform’ if he wants to lead Tories – as minister predicts election defeat | Politics News

Asked about lessons that will need to be learned for the Tories in the future, Steve Baker says the first thing that that needs to be done is “we need to earn trust”.

The cabinet minister says “that’s going to require the party to internalise debates which otherwise have spilled out into the public domain”. 

He says “our party’s going to mourn loss” and will need to “earn the right to be heard” again by the public, before setting out a “really coherent programme for government”.

Farage ‘cannot be welcomed’ into Tory party

Asked if there is any space for Nigel Farage in the party after the election, he says he has been “clear” about this.

“A person who has deliberately set out to destroy the Conservative Party cannot subsequently be welcomed into it,” he says.

“That is what he set out to do with Richard Tice.”

“Unfortunately, his party attracts a number of people who I would absolutely not allow in the Conservative Party,” he adds, referring to Reform candidates who’ve been dropped after making racist comments.

“Nigel can’t have it both ways. If he wants to be a Conservative, he should shut down his party and join ours.”