James Cleverly today warned the Tories against doing a counter-productive deal with Nigel Farage to win back right wing Tory voters.
The shadow home secretary and leadership contender said it was lazy to think that joining forces with Reform UK after its election gains would help the Tories.
Mr Farage leads a group of five Reform MPs in the Commons after the Tories haemorrhaged votes to them over immigration, despite Rishi Sunak desperately trying to win them back.
Since then Tory politicians including Mr Cleverlys predecessor as home secretary, Suella Braverman, have called for closer ties and policies that could bring them back.
Some have suggested that Mr Farage and his party be absorbed by the Conservatives.
On Sky Newss Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme, it was put to Mr Cleverly that the Labour Party could hold government for a decade if the right-wing remains divided.
But he replied: Your analysis is completely off. We lost the confidence of voters, we need to regain that credibility, we need to have an honest conversation about the relationship between the state, the levels of taxation, the levels of immigration.
The lazy idea that somehow cutting a deal with Nigel Farage will make all those problems go away, I think, is naïve at best and deeply counterproductive at worst.
We can and we should win those voters back by being ourselves, not by doing some pale imitation of someone else.
The shadow home secretary and leadership contender said it was lazy to think that joining forces with Reform UK after its election gains would help the Tories.
Mr Farage leads a group of five Reform MPs in the Commons after the Tories haemorrhaged votes to them over immigration, despite Rishi Sunak desperately trying to win them back.
Mr Cleverly also refused to rule out accepting future donations from Frank Hester, who reportedly suggested former Labour MP Diane Abbott made him want to hate all black women and that she should be shot.
Mr Cleverly was repeatedly asked on the BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme whether, if he became party leader, he would take donations from Mr Hester.
The Tory leadership hopeful responded: Hes apologised, he admitted that what he said was completely wrong – the reason he donated to the Conservative Partys general election campaign was to protect the British people from the Labour Government that we now see.
Ive not had any discussions with Frank Hester about the future. What he said was totally unacceptable, hes apologised for that – he has been a donor to the (Conservative) party, whether he is again in the future I dont know.
He was asked if he thought Mr Hesters comments were equivalent to Lady Victoria Starmer being given dresses that were not initially declared in the register for MPs interests.
Mr Cleverly responded: Well that wealthy donor (Lord Alli) was then given a pass to Number 10, to run free at the very heart of Government, something that Mr Hester has not ever had.
Lord Alli had been given a Downing Street security pass without apparently having a Government role.