Tories FINALLY open fire on Reform with ex-minister David Davis saying party merger would be like 'offering a golf club arsonist a membership' and Robert Jenrick saying Farage's outfit is opening the door to a Labour 'dictatorship'

Tory backbenchers finally turned their guns on Reform today as the parties battle for rightwing election votes.

Two former ministers lashed out at Nigel Farage and his party today to fill a major vacuum left by party frontbenchers who seem afraid to even say the eurosceptic's name for fear of alienating voters.

Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister, warned that voting for Reform would allow Labour to take power with so many seats it would amount to an 'elective dictatorship'.

And he later clashed with former Reform leader Richard Tice on X, asking if he was a 'Labour sleeper agent' after being accused of 'arrogance'.

At the same time Sir David Davis, the former Brexit minister, dismissed the idea of the two parties coming together after an election defeat on July 4, something floated by Mr Farage.

Sir David told Times Radio many Tories would be 'horrified' by the idea, adding: Today [Nigel Farage] is trying to destroy the Conservative party, that's his explicit aim. When somebody tries to burn down the golf club, you don't offer them membership, do you?'

It came as the latest mega-poll of voters suggests the Tories could be left with a rump of 72 MPs after the election. Labour is on course for a 262-seat majority, analysis by pollster Survation suggested, with Reform picking up 7 seats.

Two former ministers lashed out at Nigel Farage and his party today to fill a major vacuum left by party frontbenchers who seem afraid to even say the eurosceptic's name for fear of alienating voters.

Robert Jenrick , the former immigration minister, warned that voting for Reform would allow Labour to take power with so many seats it would amount to an 'elective dictatorship'.

And he later clashed with former Reform leader Richard Tice on X, asking if he was a 'Labour sleeper agent' after being accused of 'arrogance'.

At the same time David Davis, the former Brexit minister, dismissed the idea of the two parties coming together after an election defeat on July 4, something floated by Mr Farage.

Tory ministers have so far been reticent to attack Mr Farage directly.

Last week Lord Cameron blasted Nigel Farage's 'dog whistle' rhetoric and claimed the Reform leader is 'intent of destroying' the Tory party.

But in a seven-way debate last week Penny Mordaunt spent most of her time attacking Labour's Angela Rayner, giving Mr Farage an easier ride.

And today in a round of media interviews Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, failed to even say Mr Farage's name when asked about the threat Reform pose.

But Mr Jenrick used an article in the Telegraph today to warn that Britain is 'on the brink of a one-party state that will change our country for the worse'.

'I have immense sympathy for those natural conservatives who feel let down and drawn to Reform,' he wrote.

'Not only do I understand their frustrations, I share many of them. The tax burden is too high, criminal justice system too soft and public services too inefficient. My disagreements with the Government on immigration policy meant I resigned from the Cabinet.

'But, ultimately, a vote for Reform will only give Labour a blank cheque to take our country back to the 1970s.'

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In a round of media interviews Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, failed to even say Mr Farage's name when asked about the threat Reform pose.

The Survation analysis and modelling based on more than 40,000 surveys indicates Labour is ahead in 456 seats, with the Tories in first place in just 72.

The Survation model puts the Liberal Democrats on 56 seats, the SNP on 37, with Reform UK currently favourites in seven seats.

The analysis suggests Plaid Cymru are on track for two seats and the Greens would hold Brighton Pavilion.

The Survation study for campaign group Best For Britain used the multilevel with poststratification (MRP) technique to model results in constituencies.

Survation polled 42,269 people online or over the telephone between May 31 and June 13.

It is the first MRP analysis since Nigel Farage returned to the political frontline.

Meanwhile, a voting intention poll by Savanta also contained bad news for Rishi Sunak, with a warning the Tories could face 'electoral extinction'.

study for the Sunday Telegraph gave Labour a 25-point lead, with Sir Keir Starmer's party on 46 per cent, up two from last week, and the Tories on 21 per cent, down four points.

It is the lowest share that the Conservatives have had with the pollster under Mr Sunak.

Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta, said: 'Our research suggests that this election could be nothing short of electoral extinction for the Conservative Party.

'The hopes of Conservative candidates are being shot to pieces by poll after poll showing the Conservative Party in increasingly dire straits - and we're only halfway through the campaign.

'There's a real sense that things could still get worse for the Conservatives, and with postal votes about to drop through millions of letterboxes, time is already close to running out for Rishi Sunak.'

Reform UK were on 13 per cent, up three points, the Liberal Democrats up two points on 11 per cent, the Greens up one point on 5 per cent and the SNP down one on 2 per cent.

Mr Farage last night predicted there will be warfare within the Conservative Party within a week following Reform's dramatic rise in recent weeks.

The Reform leader suggested the Tories were heading for infighting following news his party had overtaken theirs for the first time in a recent YouGov poll.

'You will start to see those MPs, who I agree with on most things, becoming much more vociferous about their stance as opposed to that of the party,' he told The Telegraph.

'The splits are going to get worse. And to them I will say: 'Sorry guys, you are just in the wrong party'. 

Farage claimed Reform was now the 'opposition to Labour' this week after a YouGov survey for The Times put Reform up two points to 19 per cent, with the Tories unchanged on 18 per cent.