Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Image: Getty)

It comes after Reform confirmed it had gained a second London assembly member on Saturday, and a former donor to Mrs Badenoch on Sunday.

The list includes councillors from across the country, as well as a former Tory Party press officer and a former government special advisor to the Tory Party’s chairman.

Ms Badenoch batted away the further losses (Image: Getty)

“Reform is a party that wants to spend more on welfare. We know there’s some Conservatives who agree with those policies, on increased welfare, on nationalisation and if that’s what they think is right for them, then we’re sorry to lose them. But we need to make it very clear that we are the party of fiscal responsibility.”

“There are some people who will leave because all they want to do is win elections. They don’t know what they’re winning the elections for.

“We are making it very clear what we are doing this for. It is for the people of the United Kingdom. We want to give them a stronger economy. We want to give them stronger borders.

“We’re the only party tough enough and competent enough to do both. It’s going to be a long journey back from a historic defeat and on very long, difficult journeys you will lose some people on the way. But if these people cannot stick with us because opposition is difficult, then they’re not going to be able to stick with us when government gets difficult.”

A Reform UK source refused to rule out further defections over the coming 24 hours ahead of the Tory leader’s keynote speech in Manchester.

Asked about calls by ex-Tory MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg not to “split the right”, she told Times Radio: “I’m not splitting the right. There is no deal to be done with Reform.

“What kind of alliance are we having with them?

“The only thing that they have in common with us, really, is around immigration. We know that we need stronger borders, but we’ve got a plan that will work.

“Their plan, which was copied from some announcements, I think, that we made previously – they hadn’t done the details behind it.”

Reform UK Announces New Wave of 20 Tory Defections in Blow to Kemi Badenoch

Reform UK has intensified pressure on the Conservative Party after announcing a wave of defections involving 20 Tory councillors. The move has highlighted the continuing competition between Nigel Farage’s party and Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives, while raising wider questions about the future direction of Britain’s political right.

The defections were announced in October 2025, when Reform revealed that 20 Conservative councillors had decided to join its ranks. The councillors came from authorities across England, including South Kesteven, Hertsmere, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, East Riding of Yorkshire, Rushcliffe, Gravesham, Hampshire, Medway, Basingstoke and Deane, North Yorkshire, Cannock Chase, Suffolk and Bromley.

The timing was particularly notable because the announcement came during the Conservative Party conference in Manchester. Badenoch was preparing to deliver her conference speech, making the defections an unwelcome development for a party attempting to demonstrate unity and establish a new political direction.

For Reform UK, however, the announcement provided an opportunity to demonstrate its growing presence at local-government level.

Nigel Farage welcomed the councillors and argued that the Conservative Party could no longer provide an effective opposition. His comments reflected Reform’s broader strategy of presenting itself as an alternative home for voters and politicians who believe the Conservatives have failed to address their concerns.

Badenoch responded differently.

Rather than treating the departures as evidence that Reform was replacing the Conservatives, she described the process as the party “shedding a lot of baggage” from the previous 14 years. She also argued that the Conservatives should be judged at the next general election rather than on individual defections or opinion polls.

Her response reveals an important aspect of the Conservative leadership’s strategy. Badenoch has attempted to reposition the party after its heavy defeat at the 2024 general election, arguing that the Conservatives need to establish a clearer identity rather than immediately responding to every movement in polling or every political development.

The scale of the defections nevertheless made the episode difficult to ignore.

Reform had already made significant gains at the May 2025 local elections, winning 677 council seats and taking control of several authorities that had previously been controlled by the Conservatives. According to reporting at the time, the party gained control of authorities including Derbyshire, Kent, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, North Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and West Northamptonshire. It also took control of Doncaster from Labour.

The local-government dimension is important because councillors provide parties with an organisational presence in communities. Local representatives can help build campaign networks, recruit activists and establish relationships with voters between national elections.

For Reform, therefore, attracting councillors is about more than the number of individuals changing party affiliation. It can also contribute to the development of a broader political organisation.

The Conservative Party faces a different challenge. It must rebuild after its 2024 election defeat while competing with Reform for some voters who previously supported the Tories.

This competition has become increasingly visible since the general election.

Several prominent former Conservative MPs have also moved to Reform. Sky News reported in January 2026 that a number of former and current Conservative politicians had defected to Farage’s party since 2024, including Robert Jenrick, Nadhim Zahawi, Danny Kruger, Nadine Dorries and Adam Holloway.

The movement has not been limited to local councillors.

In January 2026, former Conservative home secretary Suella Braverman also announced that she was joining Reform UK. The move followed defections by former ministers including Jenrick and Zahawi. Le Monde reported at the time that around 20 current and former Conservative officials had moved from the Conservatives to Reform since 2024.

These developments demonstrate the extent to which Reform has attempted to broaden its political base by attracting people with previous Conservative backgrounds.

For Badenoch, the question is how to respond without allowing the Conservative Party’s identity to become entirely defined by its competition with Farage.

The Conservatives and Reform share some positions, particularly on issues such as immigration and national sovereignty, but they remain separate political organisations with different leaderships, histories and policy programmes.

Badenoch has sought to emphasise this distinction.

During the October 2025 Conservative conference, she argued that her party was developing a programme centred on a stronger economy and stronger borders. She also stressed that changing the Conservatives would take time following the party’s historic defeat in 2024.

The argument presents the defections as part of a longer process of political realignment rather than as an immediate measure of the Conservative leadership’s success.

However, Reform has a different interpretation.

Farage has repeatedly sought to portray defections from the Conservatives as evidence that politicians who share his concerns about immigration, national identity and government performance increasingly regard Reform as their preferred political vehicle.

This creates a significant political contest over the future of the British right.

One question is whether Reform’s growth will primarily weaken the Conservatives or whether it will establish a lasting three-party political system in which Labour, the Conservatives and Reform compete for different groups of voters.

The answer cannot be determined from defections alone.

Electoral outcomes depend on voting behaviour across individual constituencies, and councillors changing parties do not necessarily mean that every voter in their wards will follow them. Likewise, opinion polls measure public attitudes at particular moments and do not automatically translate into parliamentary seats.

Nevertheless, defections can influence political perceptions.

A series of prominent departures can generate media coverage, encourage supporters of the receiving party and create questions about the leadership of the party losing representatives.

This is why the 20 councillor announcement was significant for both organisations.

For Reform UK, it demonstrated that the party could attract elected representatives with established local political experience.

For the Conservatives, it reinforced the scale of the rebuilding challenge facing Badenoch.

The issue is also connected to Reform’s wider organisational development. A party seeking to become a major national force needs candidates, activists, local representatives and policy structures capable of operating across the country.

Reform’s expansion at local level gives it an increasingly visible presence outside Westminster.

At the same time, the party faces its own challenges. A larger political organisation inevitably contains a wider range of individuals and opinions, making internal discipline and policy consistency increasingly important.

The Conservative Party faces a different organisational task: rebuilding an established political machine while defining its position in a more fragmented political environment.

Badenoch’s leadership therefore involves balancing several objectives at once. She needs to maintain the support of existing Conservative members, regain voters who moved elsewhere, establish a distinct policy agenda and demonstrate that the party can eventually compete effectively at a general election.

The defections to Reform add another layer to that challenge.

Yet they do not determine the future of either party.

Political movements can change rapidly. Individuals who defect from one party to another can attract attention, but long-term electoral success depends on broader factors, including policy credibility, leadership, organisation and public support.

The 20 Tory councillors who joined Reform provided Farage with a significant political headline and strengthened his argument that Reform is becoming an important force on the British right. Badenoch, meanwhile, continued to insist that the Conservatives should focus on rebuilding their political identity and preparing for the next general election.

The contrasting responses illustrate the central political battle taking place between the two parties.

Reform wants to demonstrate that the old Conservative political model is losing relevance and that voters and politicians are moving towards a new alternative.

The Conservatives want to demonstrate that their party can recover from its 2024 defeat and offer voters a distinct programme under new leadership.

For now, both narratives coexist.

The wave of defections is therefore best understood as one part of a broader transformation in British politics. Reform UK has expanded its local-government presence and attracted a number of former Conservative politicians, while the Conservatives are attempting to rebuild under Badenoch.

The significance of the latest move will ultimately depend not on the number of politicians changing parties alone, but on whether either organisation can translate its political momentum into sustained support among voters.

For Kemi Badenoch, the immediate task remains rebuilding the Conservative Party and defining what it represents after its historic defeat. For Nigel Farage, the objective is to demonstrate that Reform can continue expanding beyond protest politics and develop the organisation required to compete nationally.

The competition between the two parties is consequently likely to remain one of the defining features of Britain’s evolving political landscape.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.