Former health minister Maria Caulfield has become the latest senior Conservative to defect to Reform UK, joining Nigel Farage's party a month ago. The announcement comes just a day after sitting Tory MP Danny Kruger declared his defection, dealing a fresh blow to a party already reeling from a historic electoral defeat.
Caulfield, who lost her Lewes seat to the Liberal Democrats in 2024, told GB News that the Conservative Party had drifted away from her beliefs. “If you are Conservative right-minded, then the future is Reform,” she said. “The same people who thought that Brexit would not happen think that Reform will not happen. They are in for a shock.” She cited failures on Brexit delivery as a key reason for her departure.
The former junior minister suggested she might seek to return to Parliament as a Reform candidate, adding, “I will see what happens.” Her husband also joined the party a few months ago.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch acknowledged the loss, telling GB News that “every leader regrets losing people to another party.” She noted that others could leave due to her emphasis on fiscal discipline and welfare reform, describing the current period as “a very tough and bumpy time.”
Reform UK has been cautious about absorbing too many former Tories to avoid being seen as a retirement home for ejected MPs. However, the party recognises the value of governmental experience, and Kruger has been appointed head of “preparing for government.”
Kruger, MP for East Wiltshire and a former political secretary to Boris Johnson, described the Conservative Party as “over as a national party” and endorsed Farage’s leadership. He praised Badenoch personally but disagreed with her strategy, calling for a bolder assertion of Conservative principles.
