Conservative MP Danny Kruger has defected to Reform UK, becoming the first sitting Tory to join the right-wing populist force led by Nigel Farage.
The move gives Reform five MPs at Westminster and heightens pressure on Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch just weeks before her first annual party conference as leader.
Big blow to Tories
Kruger, who represents East Wiltshire, announced his decision at a press conference in London, where he confirmed he would take up a new role as Reform’s head of “Preparing for Government.”
Framing the decision as a matter of principle, he argued that the Conservatives had “lost their way” and were no longer capable of confronting voter concerns on immigration, sovereignty and cost-of-living pressures.
I believe Reform UK is where the energy and integrity of British politics now lies. My role will be to help shape the party’s platform as it prepares to take its rightful place in government.
Farage gains momentum
The defection marks the most high-profile victory yet for Farage’s insurgent movement, which has steadily grown its parliamentary presence through defections rather than fresh electoral victories.
Other senior Conservatives have previously joined the party, including former MPs Dame Andrea Jenkyns and Nadine Dorries, though Kruger is the first sitting parliamentarian to cross the floor.
Zia Yusuf, a senior Reform figure, said the party was “delighted” to welcome Kruger.
“Danny brings experience, credibility and a direct link to the concerns of everyday voters that this Conservative government has abandoned,” he declared.
For Badenoch, who has spent recent weeks trying to unite her fractured party and craft a message to fend off both Labour and Reform, the defection represents a damaging symbolic loss.
Analysts said the move risks encouraging other disaffected Tory MPs to follow suit, particularly those worried about losing seats to Reform in the next general election.
Reform UK has long pitched itself as the authentic voice of the right, attacking the Conservatives as complacent and unfit to deliver on Brexit’s promise. Kruger’s defection is likely to intensify that narrative, setting up a bruising fight for right-leaning voters.
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