Richard Tice has warned that the Tories “are in a panic” over the prospect of coming third in the crucial Wellingborough by-election behind his Reform UK party.
The Reform leader was responding Tory veteran MP Sir John Hayes claiming that Reform’s “credibility is on the line” because they need to prove they can outperform their national polling in a favourable pro-Brexit seat with a low turnout expected in the by-election.
This followed the Conservatives bombarding voters in Wellingborough with adverts warning that if they voted Reform UK they would get Labour, a message repeated on the GB News forum by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
But Mr Tice told Express.co.uk that he was pleased about the Tory attacks on his party.
He said: “It shows we have got them worried. They are in a panic.”
The party’s deputy leader Ben Habib, who is the candidate in Wellingborough, has made the by-election “a referendum on the Sunak government”.
After receiving a hugely positive response from voters in the Northamptonshire constituency, he told Express.co.uk that it was the Tories who had lost credibility and were on the verge of losing a safe seat where they polled more than 32,000 votes in 2019.
He said: “Of course, the real credibility question rests with the Tories, not Reform UK. They’re about to lose their sixth by-election in a row with the overturning of yet another massive majority.
“Hayes would be best advised to reflect on why his Party has become so unpopular. Could it be anything to do with their breaking the United Kingdom economically, socially, politically, and constitutionally?
“All the Tories have achieved is record borrowing, record taxation, record numbers on benefits, record immigration, record illegal immigration, record waiting lists and now a record in the number of by-election losses in one Parliament. The Tories have no credibility.”
The by-election was called after former Tory MP Peter Bone was forced to step down following a recall petition triggering the by-election as a result of his being suspended from Parliament over historic allegations.
His partner Helen Harrison, a former Grassroots Out! Brexit campaigner and councillor is now the Conservative candidate but has had little support from the Tory leadership.
The favourite is Labour’s Gen Kitchen, who was a Remainer and believes in open borders without immigration controls in a largely Brexit seat. Her hopes rest on the Tory vote staying at home.
But Mr Habib today revealed why the two local candidates pitted against him are out of touch with their own communities.
He has taken up the case of British citizens allegedly being evicted from their homes by the Tory council which at the same time is housing illegal migrants.
He said: “Both the Conservatives and Labour are asleep at the wheel. Their candidates may be local to Wellingborough but they don’t know what’s going on.
“I’ve been there a few weeks and this is what I discovered British citizens having their homes possessed by a Tory council housing illegal migrants.
“This madness will never end under the Tories and Labour. They both believe in open borders.”
Currently, Habib is second favourite to win behind Labour but his odds have dropped in a few weeks from 66/1 to 8/1.
