Full list of Tories who have defected to Farage’s Reform after former shadow minister becomes latest recruit

Andrew Rosindell has followed Robert Jenrick in defecting to Reform UK

Andrew Rosindell has become the second MP to defect from the Conservative Party in a matter of days, following Robert Jenrick to join Reform UK.

Mr Rosindell, who is MP for Romford and was shadow foreign minister, argued that Nigel Farage’s Reform is now “the only political movement that is genuinely willing to fight for the best interests of the United Kingdom” as he cited the Conservative Party’s position over the Chagos Islands as his main reason for defecting on Sunday.

He said a “clear red line” for him was “the failure of the Conservative Party both when in government and more recently in opposition to actively hold the government to account on the issue of Chagossian self-determination and the defence of British sovereignty”.

The Romford MP also claimed the Tories were “irreparably bound to the mistakes of previous governments and unwilling to take meaningful accountability for the poor decisions” they made.

It comes after former Tory justice secretary Robert Jenrick joined Reform last Thursday, hours after he was sacked by Kemi Badenoch for “plotting in secret to defect”.

Party leader Mr Farage said at a press conference in central London that it was a “big day in the realignment of the genuine centre-right of this country”.

Ex-Tory Mr Jenrick “will be joining our front line team”, the Reform UK leader said. Mr Jenrick had attracted speculation about leadership ambitions since being beaten in his bid for the party’s reins in 2024, and has repeatedly stepped out beyond the shadow cabinet line.

Robert Jenrick has been kicked out of the Tory party (PA Wire)

Speaking to the press, Mr Jenrick said the Tories are “not sorry” about the mistakes they made in government.

The former Conservative shadow justice secretary told his defection press conference: “After the last general election, I made an argument to the Conservative Party, and in some respects, haven’t stopped making that argument that it failed the country, that it needed to be painfully honest about the mistakes that it had made, to really show to the public that it was sincere in that, and then to set out the serious answers to the big challenges that face our country right now.”

Mr Jenrick and Mr Rosindell join Nadhim Zahawi, Lee Anderson, Nadine Dorries and Danny Kruger among the Conservatives joined Reform in the past two years.

Here are the other Conservatives who defected to Reform UK:

Lee Anderson

Mr Anderson was elected in 2019 as an MP for Ashfield for the Conservative Party; he defected to Reform UK in March 2024 and has since become Chief Whip. He retained his seat as a Reform UK MP in the 2024 general election.

Lee Anderson was one of the Tory party’s more high profile defections(Lucy North/PA) (PA Wire)

Jonathan Gullis

In December last year, Mr Gullis announced he had defected to Reform UK - over a year after he confessed he’d been unable to find permanent employment since losing his seat as Tory MP for Stoke-on-Trent North in the 2024 general election. He was a Tory MP from 2019 to 2024 and briefly had a stint as party deputy chairman from March 2024.

Nadine Dorries

After 25 years as a Conservative Party member, Ms Dorries announced she was leaving for Reform UK in September last year. The former politician was MP for Mid Bedfordshire from 2005 to 2023 and served as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 2021 to 2022 under Boris Johnson.

Nigel Farage said Nadine Dorries brought government-level experience to Reform UK (Jacob King/PA) (PA Wire)

David Jones

Last summer, the former cabinet minister and MP for Clwyd West defected to Farage’s party after over 50 years as a member of the Conservative Party. He represented the Clwyd West constituency from 2005 until 2024.

In his parting statement, Mr Jones said: "Today, Reform UK is the party that best represents my views - and, I believe, those of many others who have become disillusioned with the two old major parties."

Dame Andrea Jenkyns

After a career as Conservative MP for Morely and Outwood from 2015 to May 2024, Dame Andrew left the party for Reform UK in November that same year. She later announced her candidacy for Reform in the 2025 election for the newly-created position of Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire last year and joined the party’s decision-making board.

Danny Kruger defected in September (PA)

Danny Kruger

Mr Kruger, MP for East Wiltshire, previously Devizes, since 2019, was one of the more high-profile defectors to Reform UK in September last year. He told a press conference: "This is my tragic conclusion, the Conservative Party is over, over as a national party, over as the principal opposition to the left."

Lucy Allan

Former MP for Telford from 2015 to 2024, Ms Allan stood down in the last general election and was suspended from the Conservative Party for publicly supporting the Reform UK candidate for that same constituency she formerly represented.

Sir Jake Berry

After serving as MP for Rossendale and Darwen from 2010 to 2024, Sir Jake defected to Reform last July. As an MP, he was Chairman of the Conservative Party briefly in 2022 and served as minister of state for the Northern Powerhouse and local growth from 2017 to 2020 under both Theresa May and Boris Johnson.

Dame Andrea Jenkyns became the Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire last year (PA) (PA Wire)

Anne Marie Morris

Last year, Ms Morris joined Reform UK to head up their social care policy. Prior to this, she was the Conservative MP for Newton Abbot from 2010 to 2024. During her 14-year term in office, she twice lost the party whip for a period of nine months between July and December 2017, and then again between January and May 2022.

Marco Longhi

In January last year, Mr Longhi defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK and is now president of Turning Point UK. The former MP for Dudley North had been a member of the Conservative Party since 1999.

Ross Thomson

Formerly MP for Aberdeen South between 2017 to 2019, Mr Thomson was a key supporter of Boris Johnson. In June last year, he announced he had defected to Reform UK, saying "only Reform have the courage and answers to the issues facing Scotland and the United Kingdom”.

Mr Farage’s party has seen a number of new members from the Tories (PA)

Chris Green

Mr Green defected to Reform UK in December last year. He served as MP for Bolton West from 2015 until 2024.

Lia Nici

Ms Nici defected from the Tories to Reform in December after a career as MP for Great Grimsby between 2019 and 2024. She served as assistant government whip for Liz Truss in her brief stint as prime minister in 2022.

Ben Bradley

The former Mansfield MP and Nottingham County Council leader announced his defection to Reform in December, stating that trust in the Tories "has gone" and "is not coming back". He has been appointed Reform’s head of local government action, and will focus on reducing council spending.

Nigel Farage, left, with Nadhim Zahawi (Lucy North/PA) (PA Wire)

Nadhim Zahawi

The former Tory chancellor became the highest-profile politician yet to switch to Reform from the Conservatives at the start of January. Mr Zahawi, who served ministerial positions under Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, said Britain “really does need Nigel Farage as prime minister”. It was, however, said by some Tory sources that Mr Zahawi jumped ship after a request for a peerage was rejected by Ms Badenoch - a claim he dismissed.

Robert Jenrick

Mr Jenrick, who was sacked from the role of shadow justice secretary last Thursday, said of his defection: “If we don’t get the next Government right, Britain will likely slip beyond the point of repair”.

He added: “I can’t in good conscience stick with a party that’s failed so badly, that isn’t sorry and hasn’t changed, that I know in my heart won’t – can’t – deliver what’s needed.

“That’s why I resolved to leave. Because Nigel Farage has stood consistently, and often alone for what’s needed.”

Andrew Rosindell

Andrew Rosindell, MP for Romford (PA) (PA Archive)

Mr Rosindell has been MP for Romford since 2001. He was a shadow minister for home affairs under David Cameron, serving in that position from 2007 to 2010, before being made shadow minister for foreign affairs in November 2024.

His move to Reform brings the party’s number of MPs up to seven.

About it, he wrote on X: “Since joining the Conservative Party at the age of 14, I have been a loyal and committed supporter of the principles advocated by Margaret Thatcher that have always underpinned my own political beliefs.

“However, the time has come to put country before party.

“The failure of the Conservative Party both when in government and more recently in opposition to actively hold the government to account on the issue of Chagossian self-determination and the defence of British sovereignty, represents a clear red line for me.”