The Conservative Party's chairman has categorically dismissed any prospect of an alliance with Reform UK, drawing a stark comparison to illustrate the impossibility of such cooperation.
Kevin Hollinrake told GB News that forming a pact with Nigel Farage's party would be "as likely as a pact with a Jeremy Corbyn Government."
The senior Tory figure emphasised that no responsible Conservative administration could contemplate partnering with Reform UK.
Mr Hollinrake went further in his assessment of the two political figures, asserting that Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch possesses superior qualities to Reform UK chief Nigel Farage.
Camilla Tominey grilled Kevin Hollinrake on Kemi Badenoch's 'tanking' popularity after claiming she is a 'better leader' than Nigel Farage
|GB NEWS
"I believe so," he stated when asked directly whether Ms Badenoch demonstrated more courage and boldness than Mr Farage.
The party chairman identified courage as "the greatest of all virtues" and credited his leader with refusing to "simply say what people want to hear."
While acknowledging Mr Farage's abilities as "a great performer," Mr Hollinrake suggested the Reform leader's approach involved telling audiences what they wished to hear rather than confronting difficult truths.
He characterised Ms Badenoch as "the strongest, the most courageous and the most boldest person in politics."
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| PAGB News host Camilla Tominey disagreed, hitting back: "We had questions being asked on Wednesday as to whether Badenoch would go the distance in her role, let alone Angela Rayner. She seems to get less popular as she continues leading.
"Just one in six Britons, 16 per cent have a favourable opinion of her. That's on a par with Rachel Reeves right now, this isn't great. You want your leader of the opposition, particularly after a week of Government calamity to be soaring in popularity, and she's tanking!"
The Tory Chairman responded: "Well, the popularity will improve, those polls will improve, that's part of my job and obviously, Kemi's job to cut through and get our message through.
"Kemi's decision was instead of rushing policies out when she took over last November, she would take the time to make sure those policies were deliverable. So that does take time, and she fully recognised that we made policy promises before that we did not deliver upon. We made those mistakes, she doesn't want to make those again. So it does take time."
Mr Hollinrake told GB News that Kemi Badenoch's popularity 'will improve'
|GB NEWS
Mr Hollinrake mounted a robust defence of Ms Badenoch's approach during Prime Minister's Questions, particularly regarding her handling of the Angela Rayner matter.
He explained that the Conservative leader had pursued the issue "for months" and made her position clear when she stated that "if he did have" a backbone, the Prime Minister "would sack her."
"There are many other things going on in this country right now that are not helping British people, in the way the economy is, cost of living, unemployment, business confidence," he said.
Hollinrake launched a scathing attack on Reform UK's financial proposals, pointing to Reform's "£140billion a year of annual spending" commitments, which he said included both tax reductions and increased expenditure.
"They know it. They are just saying things people want to hear," Hollinrake stated, dismissing Reform's economic agenda as pure populism.