Moment Kemi Badenoch takes savage swipe at Nigel Farage: 'Corbyn with a pint!'

Kemi Badenoch blasted Nigel Farage as "just Jeremy Corbyn with a pint and a cigarette" in a speech today. The Tory leader took aim at her Reform UK counterpart as she called for tougher welfare reforms.

She said: "Nigel Farage pretends to be a Thatcherite Conservative but really, he's just Jeremy Corbyn with a pint and a cigarette. On welfare he shows his true colours - promising unaffordable giveaways with no plan to fix the system."

The Reform leader has pledged to scrap the two-child benefit cap, which was introduced by the Conservatives, in a move to appeal to traditional Labour voters.

The Clacton MP also called for the nationalisation of British Steel earlier this year.

Elsewhere during her speech at the Centre for Social Justice think tank, she hit out at Tory defectors to Reform.

Former Conservative chairman Sir Jake Berry last night became the latest Tory to join Nigel Farage's party.

Mrs Badenoch suggested politicians such as Sir Jake had "probably been holding us back for a long time" and were "welcome" to leave.

She said: "There are a lot of people who come into politics just to play the game of politics, and they will follow polls and defect wherever they can, like they do in banana republics, to wherever they think that they can win."

She added: "All of the people who are not interested in coming up with a proper policy plan and just want to jump ship are welcome to do so.

"Because when the time comes at the next general election, the public are going to be looking for a serious, credible alternative."