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Tory minister says there should be 'no space' for Nigel Farage in his party - and hints at leadership bid
1 July 2024, 15:45 | Updated: 1 July 2024, 21:47
A government minister has said there should be "no space" for Nigel Farage in the Conservative Party - as he hinted he may run for Rishi Sunak's position after the election.
Steve Baker, the minister for Northern Ireland, acknowledged the troubles currently facing the Conservative campaign and that he did not want to pre-empt Rishi Sunak standing down after the election.
But speaking to the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge, Mr Baker said that while his party would "love to win", people would "guffaw if they looked at the polls and then saw me come on here and say that I thought we were going to win".
Asked if he harboured his own leadership ambitions, Mr Baker said he would "like to be on the government benches with Rishi as prime minister."
'I wouldn't rule it out'
But pressed on whether he would rule out a leadership bid, he added: "I wouldn't rule it out.
"The reality is that my colleagues have sent for me before the referendum, after the referendum, during COVID and over net zero.
Election latest: Farage told to 'shut down Reform' if he wants to lead Tories
"And on all four occasions, I've led actual MPs to a great degree of success - and I wouldn't mind the chance to do it again".
Mr Baker is one of a number of Tories who are likely to run to replace Mr Sunak in the event the polls are proved correct and he loses the keys to Downing Street.
A fresh debate raging in the Conservative Party is whether it should embrace Reform leader Nigel Farage into the Tory fold - an idea Mr Baker rejected but that other leadership hopefuls, including former home secretary Suella Braverman, have welcomed.
Reform setbacks
Some recent polls have put Reform ahead of the Tories - but over the last week Mr Farage's party has become embroiled in its own scandals - with two of its candidates accused of antisemitic social media posts and another caught making racist comments about Mr Sunak.
