Two senior Conservative figures, former home secretary Suella Braverman and ex-Brexit negotiator Lord David Frost, are scheduled to appear at a Reform UK press conference on Thursday with the party's deputy leader, Richard Tice, prompting fresh speculation they could defect to Nigel Farage's party.
Reform posted details of the event on social media, with Mr Tice writing: "Tomorrow at 10am I will be sharing a press conference with @DavidGHFrost and @SuellaBraverman. Dont miss it!" Lord Frost said he was "looking forward" to joining Braverman and Mr Tice in London and that the occasion would "help launch Suella's important paper on leaving the ECHR [European Convention on Human Rights] and its implications." Braverman has repeatedly declined to rule out leaving the Conservatives for Reform.
A spokesman for Braverman did not confirm whether she would announce a defection at the event. Lord Frost, a Conservative peer who served as Britain's chief Brexit negotiator, has also not dismissed the possibility of standing for Reform at a future general election. He told the Planet Normal podcast in May that he was "not emotionally committed" to the Conservatives and that the party had yet to grasp the causes of its heavy defeat at the last general election.
The planned appearance follows a wave of high-profile moves from Conservatives to Reform. Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries defected earlier this year and joined Farage on stage at Reform's conference, declaring "the Tory party is dead" and urging other Conservatives to switch allegiances. Other former Conservative MPs who have joined Reform include Adam Holloway, Sir Jake Berry, Andrea Jenkyns, Marco Longhi, Ross Thomson, David Jones and Lee Anderson.
Reform leader Nigel Farage has welcomed those defections and told his party's conference that further defections would bolster Reform's preparedness for government, while acknowledging the party's relative lack of experience in ministerial office. Former Conservative cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, who appeared at the Reform conference, said he could advise the party if it wins the next election but insisted he would not be defecting.
The potential moves come amid a growing debate within the Conservative Party over Britain’s relationship with the European Convention on Human Rights. A spokesman for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Braverman, now a backbencher, was free to take part in outside events and noted that the party would only pursue withdrawal from the ECHR as part of a "fully considered plan." The spokesman said Badenoch had commissioned an inquiry led by King’s Counsel Lord Wolfson, whose report is due in the weeks ahead of the party conference and will inform the leader's position on the ECHR.
Braverman's husband, Rael Braverman, had been a member of Reform before resigning in July amid criticism of his wife’s immigration policies while she was home secretary.
Political analysts say defections and high-profile collaborations between sitting Conservatives and Reform figures could reshape the party landscape ahead of the next general election, but party officials have stressed that attendance at events does not equate to formal party switch. A Conservative source reiterated that backbenchers may take part in outside events, while Reform representatives framed the appearances as part of a broader effort to attract experienced figures to a party that has recently increased its parliamentary ranks.
The press conference is due to take place in London at 10 a.m. on Thursday, when observers expect further detail about Braverman's paper on the ECHR and clarification about whether either politician intends to join Reform UK.