All the Tory defections to Reform – and who could be next ...Middle East

The former Conservative health minister Maria Caulfield has become the 15th former Tory MP to defect to Reform UK.

Caulfield served as the MP for Lewes for almost nine years before losing her seat to the Lib Dems in the Tory wipe-out last year.

James MacCleary, who won Caulfield’s Lewes seat for the Lib Dems last year, said: “Rather than offering solutions to the problems our country faces, Reform seems to be welcoming in the people that were responsible for causing them in the first place.”

Caulfield, who returned to her nursing career after leaving Parliament, told GB News that “the future is Reform” and that the Conservative Party had become “less and less what I believe in.”

“If you are Conservative right-minded, then the future is Reform. The country is going to change a lot,” 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 added: “I am sad for the Conservative Party. I could see that I have not changed but the party has become less and less what I believe in.”

The Conservative leader said “there will be some people who won’t be patient” with her Party’s pace of change, and suggested there could be more defections if Nigel Farage’s Reform maintains its polling lead.

She told the PA news agency: “It’s quite clear that we lost a historic defeat last year. It’s going to take time for us to win back the public trust.

“There will be some people who won’t be patient and just want to jump to the party that’s doing well in the polls.”

Which former Tory MPs have joined Reform

…and who is banned?

Nigel Farage has said that former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss will not be allowed to join Reform UK.

On Monday, Danny Kruger became the first sitting Tory MP to defect to Reform, announcing that he would work on preparing the party for government.

Reform has received appreciable criticism that it is not ready for government, due to its lack of experienced politicians, while questions lie over its scandal-hit members as to whether it could summon the required number of candidates to win an election.

Kruger, the MP for Wiltshire and a shadow work and pensions minister, and Caulfield are both staunch anti-abortionists, which caused uproar when Caulfield was made women’s minister in 2018.

square KITTY DONALDSON

Starmer allies eye deal with Burnham to avoid leadership challenge before election

Matt Hinton, a deputy chairman at the East Wiltshire Conservative Association, said Kruger only informed Tory members in the constituency of his planned defection 15 minutes before the announcement was made to the media.

“Danny has betrayed us in the most appalling fashion,” Hinton said. “He’s always been about the Danny show, and of course, he was parachuted in from London.”

He added: “His views on abortion and women’s rights were never something that people in the constituency really supported, and perhaps he’s found his natural home.”

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said there “will be more colleagues” of Kruger who will join Reform.

He told The Times: “We’ve got a couple of bars here that have to be cleared. Number one, we have to see if they genuinely, in policy terms, are with us – and secondly, that they’re coming not for a meal ticket, but to add to our movement, to add to our party and what we are trying to do.”

A Labour spokesman said: “A day barely passes without another failed Tory politician jumping ship and tying Reform to their record of failure.

“Nigel Farage’s party is a comfortable home for Conservatives who trashed Britain’s public services and crashed the economy, saddling families with sky-high mortgages and prices.”

Which Tories could be next to defect to Reform?

The former home secretary spoke at an event with Richard Tice, but said she would not defect as she had been elected as a Conservative MP. However, she has spent over a year dilly-dallying with the prospect of joining Reform. Her husband was a member until July, when he quit over Reform criticism of his wife’s policies while at the Home Office – hardly a welcoming atmosphere worth crossing the floor for.

Sir John Hayes

The MP for his Lincolnshire constituency, South Holland and the Deepings, since 1997, Sir John was an arch Brexiteer and supporter of Braverman, and his views are considered sufficiently right-wing as to be a suitable fit for Reform. A former transport minister, in 2021 Sir John was in a list of 11 MPs, all Conservative, who made significantly more money through outside interests than through being a constituency MP.

The Shadow Foreign Secretary has said that any gossip about a possible defection is “complete rubbish,” but as we’ve seen play out from various quarters over the years, that can also be political speak for “I’m not saying anything until I do it.” As home secretary, Patel’s scattered Rwanda plan felt like a comfortable fit for Farage’s “fag packet” policies in Reform.

Lord Frost

Lord Frost said on Monday that many Tory MPs were thinking that “maybe it’s time for me to go too.” He was referring to party MPs in general, but it would not be surprising for this former – if failed – Brexit secretary to cross the floor. In May, he told The Telegraph: “I’m not emotionally committed to the Conservatives in the way that others are. I want the party that is going to do the job and get the job done, and let’s see how that plays out.”

Hence then, the article about all the tory defections to reform and who could be next was published today ( Tuesday 16/09/2025 - 07:24 PM ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( All the Tory defections to Reform – and who could be next )

Also on site :

• Trump shares shock video of migrant bludgeoning Florida woman to death (GRAPHIC)
• Immune Resetting: B-Cell Mediated & Beyond Summit 2026 Oral Presentation: Innovent Biologics Announces Pre-Clinical Results of IBI3055, a Tri-specific T Cell Engager Targeting Autoimmune Diseases
• Finn Wolfhard Told ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ Creator “F*ck Yeah” To Revival Cameo: “He’s Such A Big Fan”