Reform UK spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe has declared a "strong sensation" of change in UK politics as Nigel Farage's party storm through several local election victories - gaining more than 300 seats.The party's first female MP Sarah Pochin beat Labour's candidate in Runcorn and Helsby by just six votes - while Dame Andrea Jenkyns became Reform's first-ever Mayor in Greater Lincolnshire.FULL STORY HERE.
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00:00Let's get more reaction on this now from the former Home Secretary, Anne Whittacombe.
00:04We just heard a lot there about the results in Lincolnshire for Dame Andrea Jenkins.
00:10Well, a lot of people are talking about her speech, how she reacted to that victory,
00:14saying she wanted to draw a line under some of the infighting and what she said was dirty tricks in the race,
00:20but immediately was sort of attacking the other candidates and also referred to one of them as having a South African accent.
00:27Was she striking the right tone there? Was that a gracious acceptance of victory in Lincolnshire?
00:33Well, I was fast asleep and I didn't see this speech, which everybody appears to be talking about.
00:39But all I would say is that her victory as our first mayor is really something.
00:46And of course, she was a Conservative and she is now wholly signed up to reform.
00:51Now, last night I was actually in the Cambridge Union debating whether or not reform had now become the real opposition.
00:59Oh, wow. You've been busy.
01:00I have. And we lost that by six votes. But the interesting thing was that almost as many people who voted for or against the motion abstained.
01:12So there is a large, I think, body of people saying, let's see what happens.
01:19And now it's down to the successes of reform. It's down to the Sarahs and the Andrias of this world to show them what happens.
01:27Now, you've been in politics for a long time and you've seen a lot of changes in politics.
01:31Do you think that something new is happening at the moment?
01:35Yes, I do. I do get a very strong sensation of change in the air.
01:40And one of the reasons I say that is that when I'm out campaigning, it isn't just that I go to people's doors.
01:47People come up to me in the street. And that is a very good indicator.
01:51The last time I had...
01:52Do they not used to do that, Anne?
01:54Not to the same extent. Not coming up and saying, good luck, you know, I'm voting for you.
01:58And the last time I saw that on that scale was in 1992, and some viewers won't remember this,
02:06but when Neil Kinnock had a huge election rally which turned the population against Labour.
02:11People were crossing the street to say to me, don't let them get in, as if I, you know, controlled it.
02:15But they were coming across the street to say that, I'm getting the same thing now.
02:20People are putting themselves out to say, good luck. You don't have to ask them, they tell you.
02:24Well, Anne, last night also, Sarah Pochin just nicking that seat by six votes, just getting over the line there.
02:30How does it feel to have another woman in the party right at the top as well?
02:34Because it's been getting a lot of chat about reform being something of a boys' club, hasn't it?
02:37Do you think that's going to change now in some way?
02:39Oh, yes, but you know my views on this. I do not care whether somebody is male or female,
02:43gay or straight, black or white, old or young, or any other division and identity that you can come up with.
02:49All I care about is that we have a meritocratic person there who wins, and that's Sarah.
02:55Yeah, I think people are a bit fed up of all the identity politics box ticking when it comes to politics.
03:00But I do think it is a good look to have a female MP elected for a form.
03:04It's a good look to have people of merit who will perform well.
03:10That's the good look.
03:12So, Keir Starmer has come out and he said he's disappointed.
03:16Where was he last night? He wasn't at his own party.
03:18He wasn't, no, no.
03:19He wasn't a bit violent.
03:19No, but he's been taking pre-prepared questions from people in the defence industry this morning and this afternoon.
03:26So, that's what he's up to.
03:28But he says that the Labour Party now needs to go further and faster with the change that they're already implemented.
03:35Well, like the old folks' fuel allowance is going to go further and faster.
03:37Well, this was apparently the number one issue on the doorstep in Roncorn.
03:42Of course.
03:42The number one issue.
03:44Because it was so unexpected.
03:46I mean, they hadn't foreshadowed that in the manifesto and they didn't take time to come to that.
03:50They did it almost immediately.
03:52It's affected an awful lot of people for the worse and some of the most vulnerable people for the worse.
03:58And so, I'm not surprised that it was the number one issue.
04:00But what people are really saying is they've let us down.
04:04Does reform have the answers, though?
04:05If he wants to go further than that and faster than that, well, you know, let him.
04:09He's going to go further and faster towards electoral defeat.
04:11Yes, what we're saying.
04:12Does reform have the answers, though, on these big issues?
04:15You know, they can point out all these problems.
04:16Yes, she makes a great point, you have to say, because Labour are being criticised for going further and faster, you might say, overcommitting beyond what their manifesto said.
04:26But they are facing the challenges of being in government.
04:29So far, all the people who are leading reform have never had to administer anything a day in their lives.
04:35Well, we'd like the opportunity.
04:36We'd like the opportunity.
04:37And from the way things are going, we're going to get that opportunity in four years time.
04:41You might like the opportunity, but the voters don't necessarily know what you would do with it.
04:45Yes, they do.
04:45Because we've said it.
04:47I mean, we've said in the last manifesto, which we didn't call a manifesto, we called it a contract.
04:52Yes.
04:52But in the last, what everybody else would call a manifesto, we said very, very clearly, you know, tax incentives for people to stay working in the National Health Service.
05:03We said about stopping the boats.
05:05We said about reversing some of the tax rises.
05:09We made very clear promises.
05:11Don't say you don't know what reform is going to do, because we jolly well told you, and we'll tell you again next time.
05:17But I hear the challenge.
05:19And if all you want to hear is what is reform going to do, I'll do that until it bores you, Richard.
05:23Well, I mean, one of the criticisms of the Conservative leader has been that she hasn't set out any policies.
05:31So what does this mean for the Conservatives?
05:33Well, last night in Cambridge, I had two Conservative MPs, former ministers, there.
05:43And I said to them, I'll sit down now and give way.
05:46Name me one original policy that Kemi Badenoch is offering.
05:51And I stood back.
05:53And, of course, there was an embarrassed silence.
05:55She hasn't offered any options.
05:58She says so herself, that that's her strategy, that she's not going to.
06:01But sooner or later, people are going to want to hear.
06:03It's true.
06:04She does say that's the strategy for now.
06:06But as you say, lots of people are asking for more policies, aren't they?
06:09Anne Widdicombe, thank you very much indeed.
06:11You are obviously here for reform, but you've had many, many titles before that.
06:15A political legend in a lot of ways.
06:17Big beast is the sort of a big line.
06:18Yes, that is the way to describe it.
06:20Of which, by the way, Home Secretary wasn't one.
06:22Shadow Home Secretary.
06:23Shadow Home Secretary.