Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has warned her party to prepare for a general election as soon as December, amid concerns that divisions on the political Right could hand Labour a decisive electoral advantage. She suggested Prime Minister Andy Burnham might be tempted to call a snap election to secure his own mandate, as recent polling indicates that tactical voting could fracture the Right and leave Labour as the largest party in a hung parliament. The warning has reignited calls amongst Conservative and Reform figures for the two parties to reach an electoral pact to prevent what they see as a Labour victory enabled by a fractured opposition.

Two recent constituency-level polls paint a stark picture for the Right. A YouGov survey forecasts Labour at 241 seats, Conservatives 130, and Reform 123, with the possibility of a "rainbow coalition" involving Labour, the Lib Dems, Greens and nationalists. A Survation poll is more pessimistic for the Conservatives, putting Labour at 272 seats (or 319 with tactical voting), Reform at 153 (or 62 with tactical squeezing), and the Conservatives at just 85. However, Badenoch has rejected any pact with Reform, stating her mission is about "uniting the country, not just uniting the Right", whilst Reform sources downplayed the feasibility of a coordinated tactical voting campaign.