The Conservatives have taken a swipe at Reform UK and Nigel Farage for “marching to the left” with their policies.

Speaking at the Tory party conference, Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride said Reform “are just as bad” as Labour, and are “being found out”.

He said the Labour Government are “led by a Prime Minister who can only do U-turns, a Chancellor who only knows how to work the brakes and a mob of backbenchers desperate to grab hold of the wheel”.

Sir Mel continued: “Look at Reform, they are just as bad. Reform’s manifesto promised tens of billions in unfunded commitments.

“They want to scrap the two-child benefit cap, spending billions more on welfare and they want you to pay for it.”

He continued: “We say that if you want to fund a large family, then that’s great.

“But you should look to yourself to pay, not the state. And Reform want to get back to the days of nationalisation and state control.

“They are marching to the Left. Be in no doubt, they are the party of more spending and more debt.

“And when it comes to Reform, be assured of this, that when the glitter, the shimmy of the sequin dress, the razzmatazz, the spinning plates, the fireworks have faded, you will be left with emptiness.

“The dole bell alone, the hollowed-out promises that never were. But Reform is being found out, and it is this Conservative Party that is holding them to account.”

Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho likened Reform UK to former Labour leader and Your Party co-leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

She said: “Reform, I’m afraid to say, have the economic policies of Jeremy Corbyn.

“They’re promising nationalisations we can’t afford, more tax for more welfare, more spending which means more borrowing which means more debt for our children.”

YouGov polling shows the Tories polling at just 16 per cent, nearly half of Reform, which is at 29 per cent.

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Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice MP told GB News: “The Conservatives managed to almost triple the national debt over 14 years, raised tax and government spending to its highest level for 70 years and simultaneously reduced economic growth to its lowest level for 70 years, so we will take no lectures from them.

“Mel Stride personally oversaw a huge increase in welfare claims and now expects the voters to believe he will cut them.

“Claire Coutinho personally and deliberately failed to stop huge solar farm applications and now expects us to believe she is against Net Zero.

“Only Reform can reverse the decades of failed policies and reckless overspending that we’ve endured under successive Tory and Labour Governments.”

Reform UK has previously called for public utilities to be nationalised, including Thames Water and British Steel.

According to Nigel Farage’s party, 50 per cent of key utility companies would be nationalised “to stop consumers getting ripped off.”

When asked how much it would cost to have half of the water industry under public ownership, Mr Farage told the BBC: “That depends what deal you do with private investors.

“We are in a hell of a mess with this, an increase of the population by 10 million has left us completely incapable of coping.

“We would look for private sector investment, the Government can be a partner.”

Meanwhile, Sir James Cleverly criticised Reform UK as “keyboard warriors” who were unable to run local councils properly.

The Shadow Housing Secretary said: “Reform?

“Well being angry about stuff doesn’t get bins collected, or schools run better, or parks maintained, or old people cared for, because being a keyboard warrior does not prepare you for managing a multi-million pound council budget.

“That is why they are failing and in-fighting wherever they get elected.”