Tory MP Danny Kruger defects to Reform UK, declares Conservatives 'over' as fears of wider exodus grow

Danny Kruger, a Conservative backbencher and former senior aide to party figures, announced on Monday that he was defecting to Nigel Farage's Reform UK and declared the Conservative Party "over" as the principal opposition. Kruger said he would lead a Preparing for Government Unit for Reform and that the party provided the "best hope for conservatism and for the country." His move makes him the first sitting Conservative MP to switch to Reform in this parliament and restores Reform to five MPs.

The defection intensified fears within the Conservative Party of a further exodus of right‑wing MPs. Party leader Kemi Badenoch defended her leadership and rejected the suggestion of imminent collapse, saying those who disagree with the party's policies are free to leave and that the Conservatives will recruit others who share their platform. Nigel Farage welcomed Kruger's arrival, writing that Kruger is the first sitting Conservative MP to join Reform in this parliament and that he expected others may follow, while urging any potential defectors to genuinely support Reform's principles rather than acting out of personal political calculation.

Kruger told reporters in London that he had informed the Tory chief whip the same morning that he planned to switch sides after approaching Reform in recent months. He criticised what he described as a year of "stasis and drift" within the Conservatives since their defeat at the last general election and said "those lost voters aren't coming back." Kruger said he had hoped the party would learn that "centrism is not enough" and argued that the Conservative brand had become "toxic" because of its record in office over the past 14 years.

Kruger, 47, is the son of television cook Prue Leith and has held a number of roles in Conservative politics. He was chief speechwriter to David Cameron after the 2005 election, served as a political secretary to Boris Johnson and managed Robert Jenrick's leadership campaign last year. He was formerly a member of the Popular Conservatives group and opposed the assisted dying law. Earlier this year and during the election campaign Kruger had been publicly critical of Reform, saying in July that a Reform government would "spend money like drunken sailors" and describing the party as a potentially "destructive force." He said on Monday that his view had changed.

The move follows recent high‑profile arrivals at Reform, including former culture secretary Nadine Dorries, who defected on the eve of the party's conference and said the Conservatives were "dead." Reform now has five MPs, the same number it held immediately after the general election, despite two defections from the party during the past year.

Senior Conservative figures expressed dismay. Robert Jenrick, who worked with Kruger, said he was "very sad" to see him leave but disagreed with the decision and said he had no plans to join Reform, noting the parliament still had several years to run. Former Brexit negotiator Lord Frost said many right‑of‑centre MPs would be watching developments closely and might reconsider their future.

Farage, writing in a national newspaper, said Kruger would not be the last to join if other MPs could demonstrate real alignment with Reform's mission. He added that new arrivals should "support our political principles" and "add something real, not merely out of desperation to save their own political skins." Kruger said he believed "the flame [of conservatism] is passing from one torch to another," framing his departure as a transfer of conservative energy to Reform.

Badenoch has faced internal criticism for her handling of the party since taking its leadership, and last week she told the BBC that anyone who disliked her leadership was "welcome to leave." She reiterated on Monday that the party would continue to pursue its agenda and replace departing MPs with supporters of its direction.

Kruger's defection is likely to sharpen divisions within the Conservative parliamentary party over strategy and identity and to increase scrutiny of whether other right‑wing MPs will follow. For now, Reform gains a symbolically significant sitting MP and a senior figure to organise its preparations for government, while the Conservatives confront renewed questions about their cohesion and standing as the main opposition force.