Simon Hart, the former Conservative chief whip, has cautioned Nigel Farage that welcoming defectors from the Tories may prove troublesome. Drawing on his experience managing party discipline, Hart argued that defections often unite a party against the turncoat, and warned that opportunists rarely bring lasting loyalty.
Hart cited several recent defections, including Dan Poulter and Natalie Elphicke crossing to Labour in 2024, and a string of Conservative figures joining Reform UK. Among them were Lee Anderson, Andrea Jenkyns, Jake Berry, Nadine Dorries, Sarah Atherton, Maria Caulfield, Danny Kruger—the first sitting Tory MP to defect—plus Lords member Malcolm Offord and former MP Ben Bradley. Hart noted that many had previously supported Boris Johnson's immigration policies they now condemn.
According to Hart, defectors often struggle to work collegiately and are driven by rigid ideology or expectations of reward, such as a key seat or peerage. He warned that if their demands are unmet, they may cause embarrassment for their new party, just as they did for their former one.
