James Cleverly labels Nigel Farage's ECHR plan 'bulls**t' as Tories turn up heat on Reform UK

Sir Simon was quizzing Sir James about his previous comments about the Strasbourg convention, suggesting it might have put him at odds with Kemi Badenoch.

However, Sir James claimed that a rift with Mrs Badenoch had been "massively overplayed".

The Braintree MP, who last night accused Mr Farage of being a "socialist", proceeded to attack Reform UK over its Operation Restoring Order plan to deport 600,000 illegal migrants.

He said: "Reform's position is: 'if we leave the ECHR all our problems go away'. Bulls**t. The bottom line is, if we leave the ECHR and there are other things we have to unpick, we can then set about re-establishing control of our borders."

Sir James added: "If, and I genuinely don't think this is going to be a circumstance that comes about, if they were in a position to deliver what they promise, which is leave the ECHR and leave it at that, we would still be mired by all of the problems, and indeed perhaps worse, that we currently have."

The ex-Home Secretary summarised the difference between the two centre-right parties on the ECHR as being that the Tories have a "policy" while Reform UK has a "headline".

However, Sir James's comments about the ECHR heighten fears of moderate Tory MPs jumping ship to the Liberal Democrats.

Sir Ed Davey is actively encouraging disgruntled Tory MPs to cross the floor by warning that leaving the ECHR would make the UK a pariah state akin to Vladimir Putin's Russia.

A Liberal Democrat insider told GB News: "To those One Nation Conservatives who don’t want to join the Farage circus, but instead want a party that stands up for a decent, caring Britain, our message to you is simple: you have a home with the Liberal Democrats."

Ex-Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, who lost his Swindon seat in the 2024 General Election, has already broken ranks with Mrs Badenoch over the Strasbourg court.

Sir Robert revealed that he "does not agree" with Kemi Badenoch's plan to leave the ECHR, adding: "We can't just leave everything when we don't like thing."

However, Mrs Badenoch is forcing all Conservative MPs and candidates to sign up to her position on the ECHR if they wish to stand at the next General Election.

"They can be in the party, but they cannot stand as MPs," the Tory leader said.

Sir James's expletive assessment of Reform UK's position came as a Tory MP criticised him for his attack on Mr Farage last night.

Romford MP Andrew Rosindell told GB News that Sir James's suggestion that Mr Farage is a "socialist" is "wholly untrue", adding that the Reform UK leader was a Tory Party member in the 1980s.

However, Mr Rosindell's call for kindness from Tory MPs has so far fallen on deaf ears.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride joined Mrs Badenoch yesterday in slamming Mr Farage over Reform UK's plan for Britain.

Reform UK chairman Dr David Bull returned the favour during his appearance on GB News on Sunday.

The former Brexit Party MEP accused Mrs Badenoch of "copying and pasting" Reform UK's plan to deal with the migrant crisis.

He said: "I think this is a desperate, last-ditch attempt to have some sort of credibility, some semblance of actually being able to do something.

"In fact, when I read that policy last night, my mouth dropped open because it’s pretty much a copy and paste of the policy we launched about a month ago, Operation Restoring Justice.

"Pretty much, they’re doing exactly what we said. It’s literally a copy and paste, they’ve taken every single word.

"And when Chris Philp spoke this morning about the fact that we put it together on the back of a fag packet, I think that’s pretty rich coming from the Conservative Party, the same party that’s done nothing about our porous borders for 14 years."