The Conservative Party is facing a deepening crisis as another of its MPs has crossed the floor to join Nigel Farage's Reform UK. Andrew Rosindell, the Member of Parliament for Romford, announced his defection on Sunday, becoming the second Tory to switch allegiance in just one week.
A Growing Exodus from the Conservatives
This latest move follows the high-profile departure of former immigration minister Robert Jenrick on Thursday. With these additions, the total number of Reform UK MPs in the House of Commons now stands at seven. The series of defections paints a stark picture of a Conservative Party struggling with internal dissent and a loss of direction, both in government and now in opposition.
Andrew Rosindell was explicit about his reasons for leaving. He stated that a "clear red line" had been crossed due to 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."
Key Figures Who Have Switched Sides
The list of former Conservatives now representing Reform UK includes several prominent names:
Robert Jenrick, the MP for Newark, delivered a damning verdict as he left the party he had been a member of for nearly three decades. At a Westminster press conference, he declared, "I can't kid myself any more. The (Conservative) party hasn't changed and it won't."
Nadhim Zahawi, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer who oversaw the UK's vaccine rollout, joined Reform on Monday. In a video message, he claimed Britain was "drinking at the last-chance saloon" and asserted the country "really does need Nigel Farage as prime minister."
Danny Kruger made history in September as the first sitting Conservative MP to defect to Mr Farage's party. The East Wiltshire MP, who was on Kemi Badenoch's shadow frontbench, condemned his former party as "over," citing a year of "stasis and drift."
Lee Anderson became Reform UK's first MP after losing the Conservative whip in February 2024. The Ashfield MP criticised the Tories for stifling free speech, stating his suspension for "speaking my mind" was "unpalatable."
Other significant defectors include former culture secretary Nadine Dorries, who declared the Tory party "dead," and Dame Andrea Jenkyns, the former MP for Morley and Outwood. The party also gained its first peer in the House of Lords when Malcolm Offord defected in December, though he has since quit the upper chamber to lead Reform UK in Scotland.
Implications for the Political Landscape
The steady stream of defections signals a significant realignment on the right of British politics. The common themes in the departing MPs' statements are a profound disillusionment with the Conservative Party's leadership, its policy direction—particularly on issues like sovereignty and immigration—and a perception that it has failed to provide robust opposition.
This fragmentation presents a major strategic challenge for the Conservative leadership as it attempts to regroup after its general election defeat. Meanwhile, Reform UK is steadily building a parliamentary presence, transforming from a protest movement into a more established political force with experienced figures from the government benches. The coming months will test whether this momentum can be sustained and what lasting impact it will have on the balance of power in Westminster.
