Tory frontbencher Robert Jenrick has vowed to create a 'coalition' between his party and Nigel Farage's Reform UK before the next general election.
The shadow justice secretary was recorded telling Conservative students he would fight to stop Mr Farage's hard right party becoming 'a permanent or semi-permanent fixture on the British political scene'.
But with Reform ahead of the Tories in most opinion polls he went on to say that if they could not be stopped, it created a 'nightmare scenario .. whereKeir Starmer sails in through the middle as a result of the two parties being disunited' in 2029.
In a recording obtained by Sky News from a University College London dinner in March he added: 'I don't know about you, but I'm not prepared for that to happen.
'I want the fight to be united. And so, one way or another, I'm determined to do that and to bring this coalition together and make sure we unite as a nation as well.'
However, the remarks appear to put him at odds with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.
Ahead of the local elections on May 1 she has backed the two parties collaborating locally to keep councils out of Labour hands.
But she has expressly ruled out a national deal with Reform, pointing out Mr Farage has vowed to 'destroy' the Conservatives.
The shadow justice secretary was recorded telling Conservative students he would fight to stop Mr Farage's hard right party becoming 'a permanent or semi-permanent fixture on the British political scene'.However, the remarks appear to put him at odds with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.
She has expressly ruled out a national deal with Reform, pointing out Mr Farage has vowed to 'destroy' the Conservatives.
A source close to Mr Jenrick told Sky News: 'Rob's comments are about voters and not parties.
'He's clear we have to put Reform out of business and make the Conservatives the natural home for all those on the right, rebuilding the coalition of voters we had in 2019 and can have again.
'But he's under no illusions how difficult that is - we have to prove over time we've changed and can be trusted again.'
Mr Farage, for his part, has ruled out working with the Tories locally or nationally.
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats called for Ms Badenoch to confirm if she agreed with her frontbencher.
Labour chairwomanEllie Reeves said: 'If she disagrees with Robert Jenrick, how can her leadership have any credibility whilst he remains in her Shadow Cabinet?'
And Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper added:'Kemi Badenoch should sack Robert Jenrick now if she's serious about ruling out a pact with Reform. Anything less would show she's either too weak to sack him or that she agrees.'
It came as new polls put Reform in the lead in terms of Westminster voting intention, ahead of the Tories and Labour. Farage's party is on 25 per cent with More in Common and YouGov in a close three-way fight.
The Tories are expecting a punishing time at the ballot box next week, fighting seats previously won at the height of the party's popularity under Boris Johnson in 2021.
Before Easter the Tory leader told BBC Breakfast: 'At local level, we end up with various coalitions. I've seen Conservatives go into coalition with Labour, with Liberal Democrats, with Independents.
'You don't get to have a rerun of an election at local level, so what I'm telling local leaders across the country (is) they have to do what is right for the people in their local area and they must stick to Conservative principles, make sure that they're not compromising on our values and on the things that we believe in – sound money, for example, not excessive government intervention.
'So, local leaders are voted by the people in a particular community, they will have to make the choice about what is right for their councils.'
But Clacton MP Mr Farage later rejected the idea, saying: 'Reform have no intention in forming coalitions with the Tories at any level.'
Some 1,641 council seats are up for grabs on May 1 across 23 local authorities.
Elections are also taking place for four regional mayors and two local mayors, while voters in the constituency of Runcorn & Helsby will choose a new MP.
It is nonetheless the first big test at the ballot box for political parties since Labour won the general election in July 2024.
Of the 23 local authorities in England holding elections on May 1, 14 are county councils: Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
The others are the unitary authorities of Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Durham, North Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, West Northamptonshire and Wiltshire, plus Doncaster Metropolitan Council.
Every seat on all 23 authorities is up for grabs, but boundary changes mean some areas will be electing fewer councillors than before.
Four combined-authority mayors are being elected on May 1, for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Greater Lincolnshire, Hull & East Yorkshire and the West of England, along with two single-authority mayors in Doncaster and North Tyneside.
