Nadine Dorries has defected to Reform UK on the eve of its conference, declaring the Conservative party 'is dead'. The former cabinet minister and close ally of Boris Johnson said her values now align more with Reform after months of secret talks at a Mayfair club.
Dorries, who served as culture secretary until 2022 and resigned after being blocked from a peerage, is the third former Conservative cabinet minister to join Reform in recent months, following Jake Berry and David Jones. Other defectors include Andrea Jenkyns, Marco Longhi, and Adam Holloway.
Reform leader Nigel Farage welcomed Dorries, calling her 'a hugely successful politician' who will boost the party's campaign. Labour, however, criticised the move, with a spokesperson saying Dorries 'helped to kill' the Tories and highlighting her role in the online safety bill while Reform aims to scrap it.
Reform now leads the polls by double digits and has attracted nearly £1m from former Tory donors in the second quarter, including £500,000 from property billionaire Nick Candy. The party has grown from 80,000 to nearly 240,000 members since last year’s conference.
