Tories Retract Claim That Meloni Advised Badenoch Against Deal With Reform

A spectacular Tory climbdown has seen a high-profile newspaper claim completely scrubbed from publication. Guido Fawkes reveals how Team Meloni intervened after an overnight report claimed the Italian Prime Minister warned against a political pact.

The Rome Meeting and the Retraction

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch recently travelled to Rome for a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, featuring coffee and a joint photoshoot. Overnight, an explosive report surfaced in The Times carrying the headline: “Giorgia Meloni warns Kemi Badenoch against deal with Reform.”

That splash has now vanished. Alongside the headline, direct quotes attributed to Meloni telling the Conservative leader to “be your own woman and stand your ground” have been entirely deleted following fierce pushback from Rome.

Team Meloni Pushes Back

According to Politico, representatives for the Italian leader strongly rejected the notion that she had intervened or offered specific counsel on British right-wing coalition politics. The swift diplomatic friction left Tory handlers scrambling to clean up the mess.

All references to the alleged warning have since been scrubbed from the digital publication, dealing an embarrassing blow to the narrative surrounding Badenoch’s Italian summit.

• Kemi Badenoch met Giorgia Meloni in Rome for talks and photographs
• The Times ran an overnight splash warning against a Reform UK deal
• Team Meloni firmly rejected the reported comments on British politics
• All mentions and quotes were subsequently scrubbed from the piece
• Nigel Farage blasted the affair on TalkTV as public diplomacy gone wrong

Farage Weighs In

Nigel Farage reacted with open incredulity during a broadcast on TalkTV this morning. The Reform leader made a point of noting that he keeps all of his own discussions with international figures entirely private.

Farage was incredulous in reaction on TalkTV this morning and boasted that he keeps his conversations with world leaders private.

— Guido Fawkes, Guido Fawkes

This embarrassing retraction exposes the messy reality behind high-stakes political spin and international photo-ops. When foreign leaders are dragged into domestic briefing wars, the fallout is swift and total.