Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch have spent years trading barbs and competing for dominance within the rightwing political space. However, the two party leaders now find themselves engaged in an unexpected contest—for the regard of Italy’s rightwing prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.
The controversy erupted on Monday when the Times published an article suggesting that during a meeting in Rome, Meloni had cautioned the Conservative leader against entering into an alliance with Farage to consolidate the rightwing vote. Following complaints from Reform UK—and reportedly from Meloni’s office—the article was revised to remove that assertion.
Sources close to Farage have since told the Guardian that Meloni and the Reform UK leader spoke this week, with Meloni expressing regret for any misunderstanding. According to these sources, she also extended congratulations to Farage following his victory in the Clacton by-election earlier this month—a contest in which his primary opponent was a man dressed as a bin.
A Reform UK source added: “Meloni’s representatives have also indicated that they are deeply dissatisfied and disappointed by how the situation unfolded.”
The Italian prime minister’s office stated that she “did not involve herself in, and does not wish to involve herself in, domestic political dynamics and relationships between British parties.”
On Monday, following her visit to Rome, Badenoch enthusiastically shared a selfie with Meloni on social media, accompanied by a complimentary caption praising the European leader’s “straight-talking, no-nonsense” demeanor.
The subsequent backlash to Badenoch’s comments appears to have undermined her moment. A source close to the Conservative leader told the Guardian: “It is deeply frustrating that Reform is latching onto miscommunication and making desperate attempts to manufacture a controversy, amplifying this episode into something it is not.”
Shortly after Badenoch’s triumphant post, Robert Jenrick—a former Conservative frontbencher now serving as a Reform MP—mocked her at a press conference: “It was clearly extremely embarrassing for Kemi Badenoch. My advice would be: if you visit a foreign leader, do not fabricate a set of falsehoods about what they said.”
Farage weighed in, stating: “I see no direct quote from Giorgia Meloni herself. I only have what Kemi Badenoch claims Giorgia Meloni said.”
A Conservative Party spokesperson maintained that the party had made no erroneous claims. “Reform is simply inventing things and promoting conspiracy theories to deflect attention from their questionable £5m donation scandal,” they said.
Meloni, a populist Italian leader who is firmly anti-immigration and champions social conservatism—including opposition to same-sex marriage—swept to power in Italy in 2022. She has since adopted a somewhat more measured approach and has become an influential voice among world leaders, appearing prominently in power rankings by Forbes, Time magazine, and Politico. Many on the right are eager to cultivate her goodwill.
Raheem Kassam, a former adviser to Nigel Farage who now runs the US politics website the National Pulse, noted that Meloni has cultivated a strong relationship with Farage since 2016.
“I have known Giorgia for a long time, and under no circumstances would she have done something like that. It is simply not her style,” he said. “She possesses a tremendous personality. Her personal strength and conviction are truly admirable.”
He noted that politicians such as Donald Trump and Farage hold Meloni in high regard because she achieved power despite formidable odds. “When we first began meeting with Meloni in 2016, everyone said the Italians would never accept a female prime minister,” he recalled. “But she simply went for it and succeeded anyway. Very Trumpian—defying the ‘haters and losers’.”
Perhaps rightwing politicians also hope that Meloni’s star quality will enhance their own standing. Her government is on track to become the longest-serving single administration in the history of the Italian Republic on 4 September and currently leads polling ahead of next year’s election.
Kassam observed: “She is regarded as respected and stable, capable of maintaining a united government and getting results. Through all the turbulence, Meloni has remained steadfast. She is tough, successful, brave, and admirable—I think someone like Kemi would have much to learn from Giorgia.”
Meloni recently experienced a dramatic rift with Trump after he claimed she had “begged” for a photograph with him at the G7 summit. Once referred to as the “Trump whisperer,” Meloni refused to accept his insult quietly. Instead, the prime minister posted an indignant video response on social media, declaring: “Neither I nor Italy has ever begged.”
They also clashed after the US president criticized Pope Leo XIV. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that the pontiff was “WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy,” following the pope’s public expressions of disapproval over Trump’s Iran policy and his declaration that he would end Iranian civilisation.
Meloni, a Catholic, described Trump’s remarks as “unacceptable,” affirming that it was “right and proper” for the pope, as head of the Catholic Church, “to call for peace and to condemn every form of war.”
This has not deterred Farage from nurturing his relationship with Meloni. Despite his frequent visits to Mar-a-Lago to cultivate a friendship with Trump, he appears unconcerned about any potential backlash. A Reform UK source said: “If Trump has an enemy, he does not expect everyone else to make them their enemy as well.”