‘Stand your ground’: Italian PM Giorgia Meloni warns Kemi Badenoch against doing a deal with Reform as they meet for coffee in Rome
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has privately urged Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to "stand your ground" and resist any electoral pact with Nigel Farage's Reform UK, according to reports of a private meeting between the two leaders. The two women, both facing pressure from insurgent right-wing rivals in their respective countries, met for an hour-long coffee in Rome on Monday, with the intervention notable given Badenoch has already repeatedly and publicly ruled out a coalition with Reform.
The pair met at Antica Caffetteria near the Pantheon, discussing shared challenges including retaining wealthy job-creators, support for Ukraine, migration and the European Convention on Human Rights. Meloni reportedly told Badenoch to "be your own woman" and pointed to Britain's history of women leaders such as Margaret Thatcher. Badenoch later praised Meloni on social media for restoring investor confidence in Italy, while reaffirming her own rejection of a "monstrous" Tory-Reform hybrid government, a stance Farage dismissed by saying he does not trust the Conservatives.
In short
- Meloni told Badenoch to resist any deal with Farage's Reform UK
- Both leaders face rising challenges from right-wing rivals at home
- Badenoch again ruled out a Tory-Reform coalition; Farage says he distrusts Tories
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Reform UK commands genuine support from millions of voters dissatisfied with the Conservative Party's direction, and refusing to engage with such a significant electoral force risks splitting the right-wing vote to Labour's advantage. Rather than dismissing Reform as irredeemable, pragmatism suggests that consolidating conservative voters—whether through cooperation, policy alignment, or even formal arrangement—would better serve both winning elections and delivering the policies those voters want. Rigidity on principle may feel principled but serves no one if it results in electoral defeat.
The case against
The Conservative Party has its own institutional heritage, voter coalition, and brand identity; binding it to Farage's Reform would dilute that identity and alienate the business leaders, professional voters, and centrists whose support the party requires to govern effectively. The Conservatives need to win back Reform voters through competitive policy and leadership, not surrender their independence to an unpredictable partner with an inconsistent record. Independence preserves the party's credibility and flexibility whilst still competing for those voters' support.
Explained simply
Giorgia Meloni leads the right-wing Brothers of Italy party and became Italy’s prime minister in 2022. Kemi Badenoch leads the UK Conservative Party, which lost power in the 2024 general election. Both leaders face competition from parties further to their right: the League in Italy and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in Britain.
Reform UK has called for a closer relationship with the Conservatives, but Badenoch has ruled out an electoral pact or coalition. An electoral pact means parties agree how to contest an election, while a coalition is a government formed by more than one party. The debate matters because cooperation could affect how votes are divided and who might govern after an election.