Blow For Badenoch As Another Former Tory Minister Defects To Reform UK

Maria Caulfield, former MP for Lewes, has defected from the Tories to ReformA former Conservative minister who served under Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson has just declared she defected to Reform.While she is no longer a sitting MP, Maria Caulfield’s announcement comes hot on the heels of shadow Tory minister Danny Kruger’s remarkable crossing of the floor on Monday.Caulfield – who lost her seat to the Liberal Democrats in 2024 – did actually join the party a month ago but only announced it today. The former MP for Lewes told GB News: “If you are Conservative right-minded, then the future is Reform. The country is going to change a lot.“The same people who thought that Brexit would not happen think that Reform will not happen. They are in for a shock.”It’s the latest indication that the Tories are hemorrhaging support to Nigel Farage’s party.But, it’s worth noting that Caulfield’s change of allegiance is nowhere near as damaging as Kruger’s, who sat on the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s front bench only yesterday.However, it also feeds into the narrative that Reform could become the Conservatives 2.0 – especially after Kruger announced that Reform bears the “new torch of conservatism”.Even so, Tory shadow chancellor Mel Stride defended his party after Kruger declared the Conservatives were “over” on Tuesday morning.He told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme: “I’m sorry to see Danny go, but his analysis is wrong.“We don’t have an election now for another four years. It is certainly the case that we had a devastating defeat about a year ago, that we lost the connection with the electorate, that trust with the electorate, and it is also true that it will take us time to rebuild that.”However, he added: “We need to hold our nerve.”Caulfield has joined a growing list of Tories who no longer sit in parliament to swap sides, including high-profile figures like former minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns – who is now Reform’s regional mayor for Greater Lincolnshire – and ex-culture secretary Nadine Dorries.Related...Nigel Farage Accused Of Talking 'Bullshit' By Albanian Prime MinisterAfter Yet Another Tory Defection, Reform Are Starting To Look A Lot Like The Conservatives 2.0'The Conservative Party Is Over': Tory Shadow Minister Defects To Reform UK

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