Rishi Sunak won’t rule out pact with DUP or fringe right-wing parties to cling onto power

Rishi Sunak has failed to rule out stitching up a post-election deal with the DUP or fringe right-wing parties such as Nigel Farage’s Reform UK to keep the Tories in No10.

The Prime Minister’s press secretary repeatedly declined to say whether the Tories would enter a coalition or sign a less formal confidence and supply agreement if they fail to win a majority.

It came moments after Mr Sunak goaded Keir Starmer at PMQs for being “busy plotting coalitions” as the Tories seek to resurrect David Cameron’s 2015 attack over a “coalition of chaos” between Ed Miliband and Nicola Sturgeon.

Yesterday, Keir Starmer refused to rule out striking a deal with the Liberal Democrats to prop up a Labour government but insisted his party was gunning for an outright majority.

But Mr Sunak is now facing questions about the desperate measures the Tories might take to cling onto power.

The Conservatives were hammered at the polls in last week’s local elections, losing more than 1,000 councillors as voters abandoned Mr Sunak’s party.

Projections of national vote share put Labour was on 35%, the Conservatives on 26% and the Lib Dems on 20%, with other parties on 19% – which could lead to a hung parliament at the next election.

Asked if they would agree a confidence-and-supply arrangement or a coalition with any party, the PM’s press secretary said: “I don’t think anyone at this stage is going to speculate on the results of the next election.

“The Prime Minister is fully committed to and focused on delivering his five priorities and that’s what we’re going to do to get a Conservative majority.”

The “anti-woke” Reclaim Party, founded by Laurence Fox, said it was open to pacts with other smaller parties, including Reform UK, which emerged from the ashes of Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party.

But Mr Fox, a former actor turned ‘anti-woke’ crusader, wants to target “problematic” Tory and Labour MPs at the next election.

Mr Fox said: “We’re not looking to stand in 650 seats. We’re looking to find problematic Tories particularly, or Labour and stand there, stand on our principles where wokery is taken off terribly and cancel culture exists.”

Asked about pacts with Reform and other right-wing parties, he said: “We support anybody who is challenging this two cheeks of the same arse Parliament where both parties agree on everything and the people don’t agree at all.”