Priti Patel ‘best-placed’ to take on Farage as Reform bigwig backs bid

Despite proudly extolling her Thatcherite virtues for many years, the Witham MP has been extending olive branches to One Nation Tories over recent months.

“I can lead us in opposition and unite our party and get us match fit for the next election, with unity, experience and strength,” Patel said.

Patel, who was one of the big beasts to back Brexit in 2016, returned to the House of Commons with her majority slashed to just 5,145.

Reform UK hoovered up 9,870 votes in the Essex seats, ending up in a respectable third place.

Given her experience on the right of the Tory Party, many senior figures believe Patel is more than prepared to take on Reform UK.

A former No10 adviser told GB News: “Priti is really well-placed to win over the Right.

“She will have the understanding of when to take on Nigel and when they botch can take on Labour.

“Other candidates might look to do some mudslinging. That could get really messy.”

Despite a cordial relationship with the Reform UK leader, Patel has distanced herself from Farage and rejected working in any official partnership with Reform UK.

A recent JL Partners poll conducted for GB News revealed Patel garners the highest level of support among Reform UK voters out of all six of the official Tory leadership hopefuls.

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It claimed 11 per cent backed her bid, with the rest of the candidates registering single-digit support.

However, Suella Braverman received marginally more support before spectacularly dropping out of the contest over the weekend.

A leading figure from the populist party also appeared to endorse the ex-Home Secretary’s leadership bid.

Ben Habib, who until recently served as Reform UK’s deputy leader, told GB News: “I’d be utterly delighted if Priti Patel gets in.”

Lauding Patel for her experience in Government, Habib said: “What I care about is making sure the country has leadership which believes in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

“That is my central political building block, my personal political building block.

“The stand-out candidate by a mile in the Conservative Party is Priti Patel. I don’t believe any of the other candidates have a hope in hell of building the central building block I believe in.

“I think Priti Patel has a really good chance of uniting around her, not just through the Conservative Party, but the message I wished to have carried.

“I’m sure that if she did become leader she would surround herself with like-minded people who would give herself the strength and ability to deliver that vision.”

He added: “Priti is a significant stepping stone in the right direction. The others, to put it simply, are not.”

Patel’s main strategy to take on Reform UK is through the democraticisation of the Tory Party.

She will look to allow members to directly elect the chair, rather than leaving the appointment in the hands of the leader.

The move contrasts heavily with Farage’s firm grip over Reform UK, with Habib among those voicing concerns about the situation.

A Tory MP supporting Patel’s bid was also keen to highlight the ex-Home Secretary’s efforts to widen her support with current Conservative MPs.

They told GB News: “Priti brings a unique offer of someone with huge experience in Government, with actual practical experience in opposition, having been in William Hague’s core team from 1997.

“She equally commands respect from all wings of the Conservative Party, an essential pre-requisite if we are to unite.

“Nothing angered voters more during the General Election than the divisions and splits within the Tory Party - healing that is the first step on the road to recovery.”

The MP also claimed the four-month campaign will help Patel build momentum ahead of the 2024 Tory Party Conference.

“As history shows, being a so-called frontrunner rarely helps a leadership bid,“ they added.

However, Reform UK insiders had some choice words for Patel.

“She offers nothing to small c conservatives and those advisors around her are dye-in-the-wool party apparatchiks who are not prepared to institute the overhaul that CCHQ needs,” a source close to Farage said.

Patel launched her leadership bid by warning rivals against waging “personal vendettas” and indulging in “a soap opera of finger-pointing and self-indulgence”.

She is up against frontrunner Kemi Badenoch, former Home Secretary James Cleverly, ex-Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, former Security Minister Tom Tugendhat and ex-Work & Pensions Secretary Mel Stride.

Leadership hopefuls have until September 4 to win over MPs, with ballots reducing the number of contenders to four thereafter.