Ex-Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns defects to Reform UK

Dame Andrea Jenkyns, a former Conservative Member of Parliament, has become a member of Reform UK and is set to run as the party’s candidate for mayor of Greater Lincolnshire in May 2025. Dame Andrea, who lost her parliamentary seat in the general election held in July, stated that she had “fought to the bitter end” but believed the Conservative Party was now “beyond salvage”. She characterized Reform UK as “patriotic bravehearts” who are poised to “deliver the fresh start this country so desperately needs”. Dame Andrea served as the Conservative representative for Morley and Outwood from 2015 to 2024, but she was unsuccessful in retaining the new constituency of Leeds South West and Morley in the general election earlier this year. Her departure from the Conservative party coincided with an announcement from Reform UK’s leader, Nigel Farage, that his party’s membership had surpassed 100,000. Farage indicated that the party’s immediate focus was on the English county council elections scheduled for May next year, with intentions to put forward 2,200 candidates. He further stated that Reform would be required to secure “hundreds of seats” in these elections to remain on track for their objectives in 2025. Reform UK, which was established in 2018 under its original name, the Brexit Party, experienced a successful general election. Despite securing only five parliamentary seats, the party garnered over four million votes in total, placing it third after Labour and the Conservatives. When questioned about the duration of her consideration to depart from the Conservatives, Dame Andrea responded that she had “always respected” Farage and perceived herself as “politically aligned” with Reform UK. She elaborated, “I was tempted before the general election, but I am a loyal person to a party.” She continued, “I might not be loyal to prime ministers, as we’ve seen in the past, but I’m loyal to parties, and I believed, as I said, in going down with that ship fighting.” Concluding her statement, she added, “I was elected as a Conservative, and I got knocked out as a Conservative, but I feel, unfortunately, the party has become tired.” Dame Andrea had previously expressed her alignment with Reform UK, having urged the Conservatives to form an alliance with the party to avert a Labour “supermajority”. During the general election, her campaign leaflet featured an image of her alongside Farage. Last year, she publicly advocated for Rishi Sunak, who was then her leader, to resign as prime minister. She had been a staunch supporter of Boris Johnson and held roles as an assistant whip and a junior education minister within his administration. Just prior to Dame Andrea’s announcement, Ben Habib, Reform UK’s former deputy leader, declared his departure from the party. He cited “fundamental differences” with Farage concerning Brexit and the party’s organizational structure. Habib also mentioned having “ideological issues” regarding migration, specifically noting his support for “mass deportations,” a stance that differs from Farage’s. During a news conference where Dame Andrea’s decision was announced, Farage expressed his intention to draw lessons from Donald Trump’s successful campaign to return to the White House. He observed that Trump’s campaign this year demonstrated greater professionalism compared to 2016, and stated his aim to replicate this strategy with Reform UK. Farage also highlighted that the Trump campaign featured other prominent figures, such as Robert F Kennedy and Elon Musk. He remarked, “That’s what I want to do with Reform – we’re not going to be a one-man band.” In a subsequent interview, Farage criticized certain Reform candidates from the general election, stating that “a couple of dozen candidates who caused us huge embarrassment – they were unsuited for public office in every way”. He characterized these as “teething problems” and affirmed that the party’s candidates for the upcoming local elections next year would undergo “more vigorously” vetting. When asked about James McMurdock, one of his MPs, having a conviction for assaulting his girlfriend at the age of 19, Farage responded that it was “not great, I’m not happy about it”. Nevertheless, he suggested that “maybe there’s a story of genuine rehabilitation”.