Tory mayor candidate for Greater Manchester defects to the Reform Party

Dan Barker announced the news on social media as he said, ‘Reform represents the ordinary people’

The Conservative Party candidate for the Greater Manchester mayoral election has defected to join the Reform Party.

In a post on X, Dan Barker wrote: “Delighted to be joining the new home of conservatism with Reform UK. Reform represent the ordinary people of this country.”

Mr Barker, a Conservative activist from Sale, was selected as the Tory candidate in December 2023.

The Reform Party confirmed Barker will now stand as its candidate in the Manchester Mayoral election which will take place on 2 May.

In a statement, the party said: “Reform is delighted that Dan Barker has joined us. He is an excellent candidate and will be a great representative for Reform and Manchester.

“He knows that today, if you believe in the future of this city, and this country, then Reform is to the future, as the Tories are to the past.”

The announcement of the party’s newest recruit comes just 10 days after Lee Anderson joined the right-wing populist Reform UK party following his suspension from the Conservatives for Islamophobic comments about Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

Mr Anderson, former Tory deputy chairman, confirmed the move with a scathing attack on the Conservative Party.

Newly-defected former Conservative deputy chairman Lee Anderson MP in Sutton (Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)

He said at the time: “All I want is my country back. Now this may sound offensive to the liberal elite.

“But it’s not offensive to my friends or family, my constituents and some of my constituents like my mum and dad, who told me they could not vote for me unless I joined Reform UK.”

Reform UK was founded with backing from Mr Farage in November 2018 as the Brexit Party. The party was originally led by co-founder Catherine Blaiklock, who stood down in March 2019 following a row over Islamophobic tweets she had written.

(X/ Dan Barker)

Shortly after Mr Farage took over, claiming that Ms Blaiklock was “never intended to be the long-term leader” and dismissing the issue as “teething problems”.

‘Let’s Make Britain Great’ reads Reform UK’s slogan, with key policies including tighter immigration controls, lower taxation, cutting NHS waiting lists, and reforming the BBC and House of Lords.

The party also calls for an overhaul of the government’s Net Zero plans, calling them ‘net stupid’.