Badenoch doesn't rule out Tory-Reform deal in Wales

"Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out a post-election deal with Reform in Wales after the country goes to the polls next May. Polling ahead of the Welsh Parliament election suggests Reform is likely to finish ahead of the Conservatives in an expanded 96-member Senedd. But speaking on a visit to Monmouth, Badenoch said any decision on whether the two parties could join forces to form a government would be down to Darren Millar, the Tory leader in Cardiff Bay."

"Asked by BBC Wales about working with Reform, Badenoch ruled out a Westminster deal with Nigel Farage's party at the next general election, but left open the potential for "local level" coalitions between Tories and other parties. She said: "I have said at national level, we're not doing any deals with other parties, But at local level, when people vote and there is no clear winner, Conservatives will look to see who will help them deliver a Conservative agenda.""

Kemi Badenoch indicated that post-election arrangements with Reform UK in Wales remain possible, but any coalition decision would be made by Darren Millar, the Welsh Conservative leader. Polling suggests Reform UK could finish ahead of the Conservatives in the enlarged 96-member Senedd, and the voting system makes an overall majority unlikely. Badenoch ruled out national-level deals with Reform at Westminster but left open local-level coalitions where no clear winner emerges. The Conservatives currently participate in coalitions with Labour and the Liberal Democrats and say they will seek partners to deliver Conservative policies such as lower taxes, jobs and crime control.

Read at www.bbc.com