Danny Kruger on Monday became the first sitting Conservative MP to join Reform UK, a move unveiled at a press conference where party leader Nigel Farage said Kruger would head Reform’s efforts to prepare for government.
Kruger, the MP for East Wiltshire, left the governing Conservatives amid a series of defections and endorsements that have accelerated Reform’s profile in recent months. At Reform’s conference earlier this month, former culture secretary Nadine Dorries appeared on stage with Farage after joining the party and declaring the Conservative party “dead.” Several former Conservative MPs have already become Reform members, including Adam Holloway, Sir Jake Berry, Andrea Jenkyns, Marco Longhi, Ross Thomson, David Jones and Lee Anderson.
Reform’s message has drawn attention to which current or former Conservative figures could follow Kruger. Commentators and party insiders have suggested a number of names, while several of those mentioned have publicly rejected the idea or declined to confirm any plans to defect.
Sir John Hayes, a veteran Brexiteer and long-serving MP for South Holland and The Deepings, is frequently cited as someone who could be comfortable in Reform’s right-leaning ranks. Hayes has been a Conservative MP since 1997 and retained his seat at last year’s general election with a roughly 7,000-vote majority over a Reform challenger.
Mark Francois, a former minister and ex-chair of the European Research Group, has been named by commentators because of ideological proximity and personal ties in the Brexit campaign circuit. Francois, who serves on Kemi Badenoch’s shadow frontbench and represents Rayleigh and Wickford in Essex, told media he is “not going anywhere.” He held his seat by about a 5,600-vote margin over Reform at the last general election.
Lord David Frost, the former Brexit negotiator and Cabinet member, has not ruled out aligning with Reform in the longer term. Frost, who sits in the House of Lords, has grown critical of what he characterises as centre-right compromises within the Conservative Party. Speaking in May on a podcast, he said, “I’m not emotionally committed to the Conservatives in the way that others are. I want the party that is going to do the job and get the job done, and let’s see how that plays out.” Frost has been privately discussed in some circles as a potential recruit should he decide to contest a Commons seat.
Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, denied over the weekend that she plans to defect after being asked whether Reform figures had approached her. “I have a lot of friends in Reform. My husband was very recently a member of Reform,” she said, but added plainly, “I’m not defecting. I’ve been elected as a Conservative MP.” Her husband, Rael Braverman, had been a Reform member but resigned from the party in July after Reform criticised the former home secretary’s immigration policies.
Other names that have circulated include Nadhim Zahawi, who stood down at last year’s election after resigning as Conservative chairman amid an investigation into his conduct, and Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary and former immigration minister. Both have backgrounds and policy positions that commentators say could align with Reform on issues such as migration and the European Convention on Human Rights, though neither has indicated a plan to switch.
Reform UK has sought to present Kruger’s defection as a step towards broader credibility and organisational readiness. Farage described Kruger’s role as central to preparing the party for government, framing the move as part of a longer push to attract figures disaffected with the Conservative leadership.
The Conservative Party has faced internal tensions over policy direction since the 2016 Brexit referendum and successive leadership changes. Reform’s growth and recruitment of former Conservative MPs have fuelled debate within the right of British politics about whether an alternative party can siphon support from traditional Tory constituencies.
Analysts note that electoral considerations — including incumbents’ majorities over Reform candidates at the last general election — may affect how many sitting Conservatives are willing to defect. MPs with secure majorities are less exposed to immediate electoral risk from switching, but parliamentary defections can have broader repercussions for party unity and public perception.
Kruger’s defection marks a new phase in the relationship between Reform and the Conservatives: while several former Conservative ministers and MPs have already joined Reform, Kruger is the first current MP to make that move. Whether others follow will depend on individual calculations about political alignment, electoral security and long-term career prospects.
Reform’s leadership has indicated it will continue to press for further defections and recruit on policy grounds; senior Conservatives named in public speculation have variously confirmed loyalty to the party or declined to comment. The coming weeks are likely to see continued scrutiny of Conservatives who have been publicly linked to Reform and further positioning ahead of the next general election cycle.