Concern Grows Reform Is Turning Into A Party Of Tory Rejects
Nigel Farage greets Nadine Dorries at Reform UK Conference in Birmingham | Alamy
3 min read
Nigel Farage's party has become a home for former Conservatives – but there are concerns within Reform UK that too many Tory switchers risks doing it more harm than good.
One of the key moments at this year’s Reform conference was Nadine Dorries’ defection on the eve of its opening, with the former cabinet member declaring in the Daily Mail that “the Tory party is dead”.
It is a big name for the party to welcome into its growing ranks, yet some are anxious that the steady trickle of Tories joining Reform risks Farage’s party looking like a sanctuary for Conservative rejects.
“I welcome Nadine,” Zia Yusuf insisted at a panel event. “She made a very public declaration that the Tory party is dead.” But not all Reform figures were as positive, with rising star and councillor Laila Cunningham saying she was “very sceptical” about the move.
A young Reform member who preferred to stay anonymous because they are a civil servant in Whitehall told PoliticsHome: “In the group chats, nobody understands why we’re letting in Nadine Dorries – or Jake Berry. We’re baffled.”
Another member said Dorries’ defection had received a “mixed reaction” at conference, but still welcomed the decision if it meant bringing more government experience into the party.
A Boris Johnson loyalist, Dorries’ defection has been taken as a sign that the former prime minister is unlikely to make a return to frontline politics – news that could lead to even more Tories making the jump to Reform.
“The Conservative Party’s finished,” declared one ex-Tory staffer at the conference. A former Conservative MP was overheard comparing Reform’s conference to that of the Tories in 2015, when David Cameron was at the height of his popularity after the party’s election victory.
Over the last year, Reform has welcomed former Tory MPs Adam Holloway, Sir Jake Berry, Andrea Jenkyns, Marco Longhi, Ross Thomson and David Jones into the fold.
But PoliticsHome understands there are still mixed feelings among party insiders over the number of Conservative defections – particularly over Berry’s defection in July, with some left scratching their heads over why he would be brought in.
One Reform member told PoliticsHome: “I think if they genuinely believe in the message, then yes, everybody is welcome. But if they want to come over to Reform just to make it another Conservative or another Labour, that’s where they’re not to be.”
Conservative grandee Jacob Rees-Mogg attended the Reform conference on Saturday. While he revealed that his teenage daughter Mary has joined Farage's party, he insisted that he would not be defecting himself.
Reform has yet to welcome any high-profile Labour defectors above the councillor level, though Farage was complimentary of the Blue Labour faction in a recent interview with The House magazine.
While poaching high-profile Tories has proven an effective method of dominating headlines, some in Reform wonder whether working-class voters in old Labour heartlands will still be attracted to a party packed with Conservatives.
