A Steady Flow of Former and Current Conservative MPs Defect to Reform UK Since March 2024, a consistent flow of former and current Conservative MPs has shifted allegiance to Reform UK, a party that has consistently led in voting intention polls for nearly a year. Key Defections and Statements The former chancellor, albeit for two months, became the most senior former Tory MP to join Nigel Farage’s party on 12 January 2026. “The Conservative Party is a defunct brand,” said the former chancellor. “The UK really does need Nigel Farage as prime minister.” The former Mansfield MP and vice chair of the Conservative Party under Theresa May joined Reform on 10 December 2025, 17 months after losing his seat. “I’m probably more Reform than most Reform candidates, to be honest,” stated former assistant government whip Ms Nici. “The Tories have lost touch with the people they were meant to serve.” Also a former leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, he expressed his disillusionment with both Labour and the Conservatives, vowing to support Reform’s efforts to reduce council spending. Ex-Bolton West MP Chris Green switched allegiance on 1 December 2025, criticizing the Tories for “breaking trust with Britain” and declaring Reform as the necessary vision for the country. “Britain’s armed forces deserve better than what Labour and the Conservatives are offering,” he added. He was one of three ex-Conservatives to defect on that day. The third Conservative to defect on 1 December 2025, the former Conservative deputy chair represented Stoke-on-Trent North until 2024. “The Tory party has lost touch with the people it was meant to serve,” said the ex-teacher and school standards minister, now mayor of Kidsgrove in Staffordshire. A former defence minister who lost her Wrexham seat in 2024 defected to Reform on 2 October 2025, following her announcement to quit the Conservative party two months earlier. “The same people who thought Brexit would not happen think Reform will not happen—they are in for a shock,” she remarked. The ex-nurse and health minister joined Reform on 16 September 2025, asserting that the future for those who are “conservative right-minded” lies with the party. Having lost her East Sussex seat of Lewes in 2024, she emphasized: “Britain’s armed forces deserve better than what Labour and the Conservatives are offering.” The first sitting Tory MP to defect, Mr Kruger, declared the Tory party “is over” and Nigel Farage as the “political right’s last hope” on 15 [date missing]. Politics Latest Starmer U-turns on plans for mandatory digital ID cards. Will Starmer go from ‘Never Here Keir’ to ‘Kowtow Keir’ if Chinese super embassy goes ahead? New Infrastructure Project A new Birmingham to Manchester rail line is set to be constructed.
