Two in three Tory members want a pact with Reform at the next election

Nearly two-thirds of Tory Party members want a pact with Reform UK at the next election, according to a poll.

Some 64 per cent support an electoral pact in which the parties would agree to not pit candidates against each other in target seats, while 31 per cent do not.

The YouGov poll found that 46 per cent of Tory members would even support a full-blown merger with Nigel Farage's party, while 48 per cent would oppose it.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Mr Farage have repeatedly ruled out any arrangement, and Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick dismissed the prospect yesterday as a 'fool's errand'.

The poll of 652 Tories – published during the party's conference in Manchester – also found 73 per cent supported a coalition government with Reform in a hung parliament, with 25 per cent against.