A Reform UK councillor and former Conservative has warned the party is letting in "too many Tory 'rejects'", saying it is "starting to feel like the Tories 2.0" as a number of high-profile former Conservative MPs have defected.
Jim O'Neill, who leads the Reform group on Blackpool Council and represents the Marton ward, made the remarks in a social media post he later deleted during Reform UK's conference. In the post he said the party "may be morphing into something I didn't sign up for" and criticised an influx of former Conservatives as changing the party's character.
O'Neill, who joined Reform after Richard Tice took over as leader in 2021, said he had removed the post because the conference was underway and he did not want to appear "attention seeking", but he said he stood by his comments. "If you're not prepared to question what's going on then you're probably not the right person to be fulfilling any kind of political office, because you do need to question these things," he added.
He declined to say whether he planned to leave Reform UK and said he wanted to "see what other announcements come out." O'Neill also said he was not opposed to other Conservatives joining the party, adding: "I'm not against anybody with any political background joining Reform UK. There are some fantastic Conservative MPs and former Conservative MPs who could be, let's say, ideologically aligned with Reform."
In recent months several former Conservative figures have moved to Reform UK, including Nadine Dorries, Dame Andrea Jenkins and Sir Jake Berry, the former Rossendale and Darwen MP. The defections have prompted debate within Reform about its direction and recruitment, particularly as it builds its profile under Tice's leadership.
Reform UK was approached for comment. The party conference, which O'Neill cited when explaining why he deleted his post, is taking place as the party seeks to broaden its appeal and consolidate its position on the right of British politics. O'Neill's intervention underscores tensions inside Reform over how closely it should align with former Conservative politicians and the extent to which new arrivals are reshaping the party's identity.