In a seismic shock to Westminster, former Cabinet minister Nadine Dorries has dramatically crossed the floor to join Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. The ex-Culture Secretary launched a scathing broadside against Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, accusing the Conservatives of abandoning their core values and principles.
The bombshell defection represents one of the most significant political shifts in recent years, dealing a crushing blow to Sunak's authority ahead of the looming general election. Dorries, who served as a loyal lieutenant to Boris Johnson, declared the modern Tory party "unrecognisable" from the institution she joined decades ago.
A Scathing Indictment
In her resignation statement, Dorries didn't hold back: "Under Rishi Sunak's leadership, the Conservative Party has drifted so far from its traditional values that it's become utterly unrecognisable. The party I joined under Margaret Thatcher's principles no longer exists."
The Mid Bedfordshire MP, who announced she wouldn't stand in the next election, saved her most biting criticism for Sunak's handling of key policies. She particularly highlighted what she called his "betrayal" of Brexit promises and failure to control immigration levels.
Farage's Growing Influence
Dorries praised Nigel Farage's political movement as "the only party truly committed to delivering a proper Brexit and addressing the concerns of ordinary British voters." Her endorsement provides Reform UK with its most high-profile convert to date, lending credibility to Farage's claim that his party is now the true home for conservative voters.
Political analysts are calling this defection a potential game-changer that could siphon off disaffected Tory voters on the right flank. With Reform UK already polling steadily, Dorries' move might trigger further defections among disillusioned Conservative MPs.
Westminster Reacts
Downing Street has remained conspicuously silent on the development, though backbench Tories have expressed outrage. One senior Conservative MP described the defection as "the ultimate betrayal" while others suggested it revealed Dorries' true colours after being overlooked for a peerage in Boris Johnson's resignation honours.
Meanwhile, Reform UK officials are celebrating their highest-profile recruitment since the party's rebranding. Farage himself welcomed Dorries, calling her "a politician of principle who recognises that this Conservative government has abandoned its voters and its values."
The political earthquake leaves Sunak facing battles on multiple fronts as he attempts to unite his fractured party ahead of what promises to be a bitterly contested general election.
