Ben Houchen says Reform UK would win in Tees Valley

Speaking on the ‘When The Facts Change’ YouTube channel Liam Halligan, Ben Houchen suggested Nigel Farage’s party would surge to victory in the Tees Valley.

The Conservative mayor, who won a third term despite a poor string of local election results for his party in 2024, made the admission on December 15 while being grilled on the future of renewable energy and Nissan.

However, Lord Houchen was adamant that Reform UK, which currently has just five MPs in parliament, should still be up for scrutiny.

He said: “If there was an election today, every single seat in the Tees Valley would go to Reform. Every single one.

“I know we are three, four years out from a general election and things will change with Reform, they will end up making mistakes, imploding, they will get more scrutiny, their economic policies definitely deserve scrutiny.

“Irrespective of all of that, I don’t see a way Reform don’t take seats in the North East, not just in Teesside.”

When questioned about what the Conservatives could do to fight back, the mayor admitted the party need to “reconnect with the public”.

“Do the public get the vibe that we are on their side?”, he added.

“I think there is a real divide opening up where we can succeed, and that’s particularly over the economy.

“There is a huge chasm on the right of politics that if we can be heard and put forward a sensible economic argument… there is an opening for the Conservative Party.”

The latest YouGov opinion polls on December 22 give Reform UK the lead with 26 per cent of the vote. Labour and the Conservatives sit in joint second with 19 per cent each.

Lord Houchen has been contacted for comment.