𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Kemi Badenoch has claimed that Nigel Farage is “having a breakdown” because he is so worried about the threat from Restore Britain and its leader, Rupert Lowe. The Conservative leader lashed out at Reform UK in a gleeful attack on Mr Farage’s party.

Reform is battling to win an historic victory in the Makerfield by-election, where Labour candidate Andy Burnham hopes to be returned to Parliament as an MP, allowing him to challenge Sir Keir Starmer in a leadership contest. But Restore Britain, led by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, is campaigning to get as many votes as possible – and could prevent Mr Farage’s party from winning. A poll by Opinium, for example, suggested that Mr Burnham could get 46% of the vote, Reform 41%, and Restore 7%.

While the numbers are too close to accurately predict any result, they show how a split in the Right-wing vote could potentially allow Mr Burnham to win.

And Mrs Badenoch said: “I think that Reform, they are clearly having some kind of breakdown. Whether it is because of Rupert Lowe or whatever.”

She also accused Mr Farage of being in hiding over questions about a £5million gift he received from billionaire donor Christopher Harborne.

She said: “But it is very interesting that ever since the fishy £5million story broke, he has not had a press conference, because he doesn’t want to face the sort of questioning that I face every day.”

Mr Farage did, in fact, hold a press conference in Makerfield last week, but regular press conferences in London appear to have come to and end.

Mrs Badenoch was responding to questions following a speech in London in which she said the Prime Minister should resign if he cannot prove that the long-delayed defence investment plan will “protect our national security”.

The Conservative leader also offered to lend the votes of her MPs to Sir Keir, or another prime minister should he lose a leadership challenge, to pass welfare cuts through Parliament to pay for defence hikes.

Plans to increase defence spending over the long term were thrown into disarray last week when John Healey resigned as defence secretary.

Mr Healey chose to leave the Government because the defence investment plan fell short of what defence chiefs had asked for.

After months of wrangling, the long-delayed plan laid out some £13.5billion of spending, rather than the £28billion over four years that officials said was needed to transform Britain’s armed forces into a future-proofed military.

Speaking at a central London press conference on Monday, Conservative leader Mrs Badenoch said the plan should not now be rushed to address concerns publicly aired by Mr Healey and his colleagues who resigned from Government last week.

“There are three tests which must be met if the plan is to protect our national security,” Mrs Badenoch said.

The first test Mrs Badenoch laid out was funding: that Britain should raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030, and as a minimum provide the £28billion over four years asked for by defence chiefs.

The Conservative leader’s second test was “readiness”, as she insisted that spending cannot be “backloaded” into the next Parliament.

Capability was her third test, with Mrs Badenoch telling the press conference: “The defence investment plan should equip Britain with a more lethal and operationally effective armed forces with a mixture of traditional equipment and modern tech such as drones and counter drones.”

She added: “If the Prime Minister is unable to provide the leadership within his Cabinet to deliver a defence investment plan that meets these three tests, he should resign now and make way for a leader who can.”

Elsewhere, Mrs Badenoch referenced the Government’s difficulties in passing reforms aimed at cutting the welfare Bill last summer, which were scuppered by Labour MPs concerned about their impact on disabled people.

She told the press conference: “My party is going to work with any Labour leader in the national interest to cut the benefits bill to pay for defence.”