Tory MP Richard Fuller has defended his party's stance following Reform UK's significant gains in local elections, insisting "of course I care" about the results during a tense interview with GB News.
Fuller acknowledged Reform's success but was quick to distinguish between the two parties as results showed Nigel Farage's party making substantial inroads across England.
The MP's comments came as Reform UK secured a stunning victory in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, winning by just six votes in what has been described as one of the closest parliamentary contests in recent history.
The results mark a clear setback for both the Conservative Party and Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government, which has seen polling support plummet since taking power last July.
Tory MP Richard Fuller said "of course I care"
GB NEWS
Reform UK's breakthrough saw the party grabbing dozens of local council seats from both Labour and the Conservatives as Britain's political landscape shows signs of further fragmentation.
Stephen Dixon asked the MP: "I mean, there's no two ways about it. However, Richard, where's the passion?
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"Where is the passion from Kemi Badenoch and from members of her team? I'm including you in this. Because when you look at Reform, yes, it's going to be tough.
"And yes, they can say things more easily from the sidelines than they can when they're on the pitch, as they will discover. But there is a passion that appeals to people who look at the state of the country and say, 'It's falling apart.'
"We're not happy; we're not satisfied with how things are. And here's someone with enthusiasm who says they’re at least going to try to change it. Where's the passion in the Tories?"
He responded: "Look, I'm probably not the best person to ask. I'm not a particularly emotionally driven person. That doesn't mean I don't care.
"Of course I care. But as I said earlier, I think the issue for me is this: when people have these concerns, as you rightly say, they are real concerns you can choose to be a politician who just scratches the itch and comes up with a slogan.
"And, you know, a number of politicians do that. Or you can say that we have to find solutions—and those involve very hard choices."
He added: "We often hear people say, you know, shouldn't there be pacts between the Conservative Party and Reform?
"But the truth is that Reform and the Conservative Party are two very distinct parties.
Nigel Farage is the leader of Reform UKX/ Nigel Farage "Reform combines some aspects of conservative values, but it also embraces a kind of popular nationalism, which includes policies like the nationalisation of industries something that is not a Conservative policy.
"We don't believe that's the right approach for the economy.
"However, we have to acknowledge that Reform did very well. Yes, they won the Runcorn by-election from Labour, they’ve won some mayoralties, and now they will have the chance to show what they can actually do when given power."
