UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Reform UK gains momentum as at least ten Tory councillors defect, highlighting dissent and challenging Tory leader Kemi Badenoch’s leadership.
As reported by The Standard, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK announced a mass Tory defection ahead of Kemi Badenoch’s speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.
Tory councillors defected to Reform UK
Over the recent weeks, more than a dozen Tory councillors officially joined Nigel Farage’s party.
The defectors included:
- Robbie Lammas
- Barry Dunning
- Paul Miller
- Mark Whittington
- Brett Rosehill
- Caroline Clapper
- Duane Farr
- Denise Howard
- Debbie Soloman
- Cameron Adams
- Emma Elliott
- Aaron Elliott
- Gary Harding
- David Beattie
What did Kemi Badenoch say about Reform UK defections and the party’s plans for the economy and borders?
Kemi Badenoch said,
“Just last year, we had MPs jumping to Labour because Labour was doing well in the polls. They’re not doing so well now.”
She stated,
“There are some people who will leave because all they want to do is win elections. They don’t know what they’re winning the elections for.”
The Tory leader said,
“We are making it very clear what we are doing this for. It is for the people of the United Kingdom. We want to give them a stronger economy. We want to give them stronger borders.”
She added,
“What we are doing is shedding a lot of the baggage of the last 14 years. We need people who are in our party for the right reasons.”
In another interview, Ms Badenoch said,
“I’m always very sorry to lose people from the party, but as you can see from this conference, we are changing the Conservative Party talking about a stronger economy, stronger borders.”
She continued,
“Reform is a party that wants to spend more on welfare. We know there’s some Conservatives who agree with those policies, on increased welfare, on nationalisation and if that’s what they think is right for them, then we’re sorry to lose them. But we need to make it very clear that we are the party of fiscal responsibility.”
Recent weeks have seen several high-profile Tory defections, including senior London Tory Keith Prince, who joined Reform UK as Ms Badenoch arrived in Manchester for the party conference.
The Tory leader stated,
“Just last year, we had MPs jumping to Labour because Labour was doing well in the polls. They’re not doing so well now.”
She added,
“We’re the only party tough enough and competent enough to do both. It’s going to be a long journey back from a historic defeat and on very long, difficult journeys you will lose some people on the way. But if these people cannot stick with us because opposition is difficult, then they’re not going to be able to stick with us when government gets difficult.”
YouGov poll on Kemi Badenoch’s leadership among Tory members
The YouGov survey shows that 46% of Tory members want Kemi Badenoch to stay as leader. At the same time, 50% think she should step down. It also found that 49% expect her to leave before the next general election, while 47% think she will stay.
The poll was conducted among 652 Conservative members and carried out between 26 September and 2 October.
The survey shows 64% of Tory members are in favor of teaming up with Reform UK in elections, while 31% are against it. It also finds that 46% back a full merger with Reform UK, while 48% do not.
The poll shows 70% of members like Ms Badenoch, 29% do not, while 73% like Mr Jenrick and 20% do not.
Next election’s seat prediction
A recent YouGov poll shows Reform UK could win 311 seats, just 15 short of a majority, while Labour is expected to get 144 seats, much fewer than in 2024.
The Tories are set to win only 45 seats. They remain far behind the Liberal Democrats, projected to take 78 seats.