Full record of former Tories who’ve defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform | EUROtoday

Former Conservative chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has turn out to be the newest Tory to defect to Reform UK.

Mr Zahawi, who served underneath Boris Johnson in 2022, joins a rising record of Tory politicians selecting to affix Nigel Farage’s political group. His defection comes over a decade after he advised Farage on X, then-known as Twitter, that he had “been a Conservative all my life and will die a Conservative.”

Yet he stated in a press convention on Monday: “I’ve made my mind that the team that will deliver for this nation will be the team that Nigel will put together, and that’s why I’ve decided that I’m joining Reform UK.”

A Conservative spokesperson provided up in counterpoint: “Reform is fast becoming the party of has-been politicians looking for their next gravy train”.

Mr Zahawi was sacked as Conservative Party chairman in 2023 after he was discovered to have breached the ministerial code over his tax affairs. He later confirmed he paid an almost £5 million penalty to HMRC in an effort to settle the matter.

The former cupboard minister is probably the most-significant Conservative defection to Reform UK to date. He joins the likes of Lee Anderson, Nadine Dorries and Danny Kruger as former Conservatives who’ve all switched to affix Reform UK within the final two years.

Here are the opposite Conservatives who defected to Reform UK:

Lee Anderson

Mr Anderson was elected in 2019 as an MP for Ashfield for the Conservative Party; he defected to Reform UK in March 2024 and has since turn out to be Chief Whip. He retained his seat as a Reform UK MP within the 2024 common election.

Jonathan Gullis

In December final 12 months, Mr Gullis introduced he had defected to Reform UK – over a 12 months after he confessed he’d been unable to seek out everlasting employment since dropping his seat as Tory MP for Stoke-on-Trent North within the 2024 common election. He was a Tory MP from 2019 to 2024 and briefly had a stint as occasion deputy chairman from March 2024.

Nadine Dorries

After 25 years as a Conservative Party member, Ms. Dorries introduced she was leaving for Reform UK in September final 12 months. The former politician was MP for Mid Bedfordshire from 2005 to 2023 and served as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, media and Sport from 2021 to 2022 underneath Boris Johnson.

David Jones

Last summer time, the previous cupboard minister and MP for Clwyd West defected to Farage’s occasion after over 50 years as a member of the Conservative Party. He represented the Clwyd West constituency from 2005 till 2024. In his parting assertion, Mr Jones stated: “Today, Reform UK is the party that best represents my views – and, I believe, those of many others who have become disillusioned with the two old major parties.”

Dame Andrea Jenkyns

After a profession as Conservative MP for Morely and Outwood from 2015 to May 2024, Dame Andrew left the occasion for Reform UK in November that very same 12 months. She later introduced her candidacy for Reform within the 2025 election for the newly created Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire final 12 months and joined the occasion’s determination making board.

Danny Kruger

Mr Kruger, MP for East Wiltshire, beforehand Devizes, since 2019, was one of many extra excessive profile defectors to Reform UK in September final 12 months. He advised a press convention: “This is my tragic conclusion, the Conservative Party is over, over as a national party, over as the principal opposition to the left.”

Lucy Allan

Former MP for Telford from 2015 to 2024, Ms Allan stood down within the final common election and was suspended from the Conservative Party for publicly supporting the Reform UK candidate for that very same constituency she previously represented.

Sir Jake Berry

After serving as MP for Rossendale and Darwen from 2010 to 2024, Sir Jake defected to Reform final July. As a Tory MP, he was Chairman of the Conservative Party briefly in 2022 and served as minister of state for the northern powerhouse and native development from 2017 to 2020 underneath each Theresa May and Boris Johnson.

Anne Marie Morris

Last 12 months, Ms Morris joined Reform UK to move up their social care coverage. Prior to this, she was Conservative MP for Newton Abbot from 2010 to 2024. During her 14 12 months time period in workplace, she twice misplaced the occasion whip for a interval of 9 months between July and December 2017, after which once more between January and May 2022.

Marco Longhi

In January final 12 months, Mr Longhi defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK and is now president of Turning Point UK. The former Conservative MP for Dudley North had been a member of the Conservative Party since 1999.

Ross Thomson

Formerly MP for Aberdeen South between 2017 to 2019, Mr Thomson was a key supporter of Boris Johnson. In June final 12 months, he introduced he had defected to Reform UK, saying “solely Reform have the braveness and solutions to the problems dealing with Scotland and the United Kingdom”.

Chris Green

Mr Green is among the newest Conservatives to defect to Reform UK in December final 12 months after he served as MP for Bolton West from 2015 till 2024.

Lia Nici

Ms Nici defected from the Tories to Reform in December after a profession as MP for Great Grimsby between 2019 and 2024. She served as assistant authorities Whip for Liz Truss in her temporary stint as prime minister in 2022.