Kemi Badenoch’s Clacton retreat shows the Tories fear Reform

THERE CAN SURELY BE LITTLE DOUBT about how far the Conservative Party has become enveloped in the uniparty consensus after this week’s developments at Westminster. In the wake of Nigel Farage announcing a by-election in his Clacton constituency – no doubt seeking to get ahead of a witch hunt against him and his financial dealings – Kemi Badenoch’s party has joined the other major parties in boycotting the poll.

This represents a tremendous insult to the constituents of Clacton. While the Conservatives could have offered the good people of the seaside town some semblance of a democratic choice, they – along with their allies at Restore – have conspired to deny voters any choice whatsoever, and have done so in cahoots with the Greens, Labour and Lib Dems.

As Brendan O’Neill wrote in The Spectator:

“Their choreographed retreat smacks of moral cowardice. This is a collective abdication of the first duty of a party, which is to contest elections, to disseminate ideas, to try to win the hearts of voters … They are cruelly depriving these working-class seasiders of choice. It is obscene.”

A cynic might suggest too that the Conservatives and the main parties of the Left are running scared of Reform. Collectively, they fear losing – and losing big – to the one man whom the entire weight of the political and mainstream media establishment has conspired to stitch up.

It is worth noting that since Andy “King of the North” Burnham waltzed into Parliament last month, nationwide opinion polls have barely registered any jump in support for Labour. Instead, two polls by Opinium (here and here) recorded Reform well ahead of a flatlining Labour Party.

That said, an Electoral Calculus MRP poll this week projects that, if an election were held now, it would result in 217 Labour MPs, the Conservatives second on 151 and Reform third on 127 – despite Reform and Labour being neck and neck on 22 per cent.

The reason this particular seat allocation is so favourable to Labour and the Conservatives is that the model applies an algorithm predicting tactical voting against Reform. Without that speculation, the figures are: Labour, 22 per cent and 195 seats; Reform, 22 per cent and 166 seats; Conservatives, 20 per cent and 124 seats.

Interestingly – and tellingly – the mainstream media reports of the poll used only the figures incorporating tactical voting, without explaining that assumption, and omitted the original findings shown above.

Now, the latest YouGov poll, published on 7 July, maintains the established pattern seen in YouGov and Opinium polling: Reform leading on 25 per cent (+1), the Conservatives on 21 per cent (+1) and Labour unchanged on 20 per cent (-).

this witch hunt – gleefully egged on by the Conservatives – has been designed to arrest Reform’s rise

This, together with the May election results, in which the Reform candidates won all the Clacton wards, only confirms why the Tories – and the other main parties – are fearful of being shown up in Clacton.

In all this, Farage is no doubt being held to absurdly high standards compared with others. This fishing expedition owes more to a bitter and twisted establishment than to a genuine quest for truth and probity. Lest we forget, this Labour government began amid the cash for access scandal involving Lord Alli.

Sir Keir Starmer received over £16,000 towards clothing and glasses, as well as donations of clothing for his wife and the use of a penthouse. His then deputy, Angela Rayner, accepted £3,550 in clothing and corporate support for parliamentary duties, while Rachel Reeves received thousands of pounds in donations for outfits, and Bridget Phillipson received £14,000 to cover work events and activities.

No heads rolled then, as I recall.

Moreover, Farage is justified in pointing to the substantial cost of protecting his own safety. We have all seen the milkshakes and placards thrown. I personally witnessed him hounded on the streets of Felixstowe in March with an organised rent-a-mob. It is hardly surprising that the media’s doxxing of his daughter pushed him over the edge and forced the Reform leader to take a stand.

Make no mistake: this witch hunt – gleefully egged on by the Conservatives – has been designed to arrest Reform’s rise. For those with short memories, it was the Tories who threw open the borders, botched Brexit and laid the groundwork for the miserable Labour regime we now endure. Their moral authority – and political credibility – remain firmly in the septic tank.

Nigel Farage is being held to standards to which no other politician is even remotely subjected. His security costs are astronomical, while threats to his family are something not even the most rhino-skinned politician could take lying down. Little wonder that the man came out swinging.

Whatever the polls say, Reform remains the party to beat. That explains the widespread boycott of the Clacton by-election, including by Kemi Badenoch. Far from showing principle, the Conservatives are running scared of the one party they know has their measure.

Having played the man rather than the ball, and attempted to bring Farage down by fair means or foul, the Tories have shown us all that, when it comes to the people versus The Establishment, they remain firmly on the side of the latter.