Kemi Badenoch dismissed a Labour attack ad against the Tories and Reform UK as "weird". The image shared on social media shows half of her face and half of Reform leader Nigel Farage's merged together.

The accompanying text says that the two right-wing parties are "closer than you think" and urges people to vote Labour at the local elections on May 1. The Conservative leader told Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme: "That’s just weird isn’t it? I mean, look at that, it doesn't make any sense.

"I think even just looking at that picture shows that they're trying to make an argument that doesn't work.

"Of course there are huge differences between us and Reform. If there weren't there wouldn't be a Reform party.

"What I'm saying now is that we need to make sure that local people understand that what they are voting for now is not an opinion poll, but who's going to run their local services.

"And if they vote for anything other than Conservative they could end up like Birmingham where there are rats running around and rubbish piling up on the street."

Host Trevor Phillips described the ad as "distasteful" and "unpleasant" when he asked Labour minister Darren Jones about it.

He said: "It's distasteful isn't it?"

Mr Jones replied: "Why?"

Mr Phillips pressed: "I think the overlay of these two people's faces seems to me unpleasant."

Mr Jones asked again: "Why?

The Sky News presenter said: "It just seems unpleasant to me."

Mr Jones said: "I think what it's showing is you've got Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Reform party and the Conservatives, who are essentially one and the same thing."