STORY
In a dramatic turn of events on the eve of Reform UK’s annual conference in Birmingham, former Conservative MP and ex-Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has officially joined the insurgent party led by Nigel Farage. She delivered a stark verdict on her former party, declaring that “the Tory Party is dead.” Dorries, who represented Mid Bedfordshire from 2005 until her resignation in 2023, said the decision to defect was made after “12 agonising months” of soul-searching. In her column for the Daily Mail, she said the Conservative Party has changed, not her core beliefs, and that only Nigel Farage has, in her words, “the answers, the knowledge and the will to deliver.”
Her announcement lands as a significant boost to Reform UK, which is currently riding high in the polls. Dorries is slated to deliver the opening speech at the party’s two-day conference, signalling immediate integration into their campaign efforts. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage warmly welcomed her, praising her experience as both a politician and broadcaster, and describing her arrival as a “great boost” to the party.