Priti Patel has accused her Labour rival of “shocking” tactics after a video emerged of Rumi Chowdhury urging voters to back Reform.
The former Home Secretary said Ms Chowdhury believes “that’s the only way she thinks she can win”.
Ms Patel warned that backing Nigel Farage’s party would pave the way for Labour to hike taxes, “destroy our countryside” and open up Britain’s borders.
Dame Priti had a majority of 24,000 over the Labour Party candidate in 2019 – but no Brexit Party candidate stood in Witham.
Ms Chowdhury said she thinks there will be a “split” of the votes between the Conservatives and Reform.
Asked if that would help her, the Labour candidate then tells an interviewer: “Yes, we would encourage everyone who wants to vote Reform instead of Tory to go ahead.”
But Dame Priti blasted: “Shocking! Labour’s candidate from Luton wants you to vote Reform as that’s the only way she thinks she can win the Witham constituency.
“Voting Reform or anyone else would give her, Starmer and Labour a licence to increase taxes, destroy our countryside, impose pylons on local communities, open our borders to more illegal migration and they’d back the rights of criminals and foreign offenders.
“I’m the only local candidate who will defend our countryside, stand up for our values, campaign for lower taxes and work to keep you safe and secure.”
The Tories have reeled in Labour’s lead amid a fall in support for Reform UK, a new poll has revealed.
Rishi Sunak’s party are on 22 per cent, 19-points behind Labour who are on 41 percent, according to the survey of 20,000 voters by Redfield and Wilton Strategies.
Mr Farage’s party has targeted disillusioned voters. But Tory strategists have warned backing Reform UK will hand Keir Starmer a bigger majority.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has been putting out social media videos in support of some Conservative candidates, said Ms Patel was one of the “original Brexiteers”.
And he said she “really drove that Rwanda scheme, believe me, is still our best hope of stopping illegal cross-Channel gangs from bringing people into our country”.
Dame Priti responded to the endorsement, by posting on X: “As Boris says; the people of the Witham constituency should ‘stick with Prit.
“Thank you to my great friend, the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson for his support and friendship.
“On the 4th July, I’m asking voters across the Witham constituency to re-elect me on my local record of delivery and for standing up for this beautiful part of Essex.”
Mr Johnson added: “Unless you vote for Priti in Witham there is a risk that we’ll get an even bigger Labour majority, a really big Labour majority, with more wokery, more illegal immigration, more pointless, limp kowtowing to Brussels and of course ever higher taxation for you and your family under Keir Starmer and the Labour Party.”