She went on: “It’s our job as politicians to convince people that we have the right answers and the right solutions to restore people’s hope, to drive growth, to drive opportunities in different parts of the country. That’s our job as politicians.
“I’m not going to blame the voters because that’s the wrong thing to do. But I think what happened in Germany reminds us that we’re not the only country where we have right-wing populists who are becoming more successful, unfortunately.
“However, I do think Reform is having its own moment. You know, I think the party has got big questions to answer regarding their donations and whether they’ve complied with electoral law. They’ve got questions to answer, serious questions to answer about that.”
In another interview on Times Radio, Ms Reynolds said Reform and the AfD are “in the same bracket”. She said: “I think they are both parties that try and feed on the grievances of people and don’t come up with solutions.
“And yes, I see them in the same political bracket. And it reminds us that as a government, we have the responsibility to drive change and to convince people that we can change the country for the better and that they don’t need to resort to voting for far-right politicians to express themselves.”
Reform UK responded: “Emma Reynolds’ comments are lazy, inaccurate and an insult to Reform UK’s millions of voters . Name calling is the last refuge of failed governments with nothing else to say.”