A former Tory deputy chairman has defected to Reform UK. Jonathan Gullis is one of three ex-Conservative MPs who have become the latest to switch to Nigel Farage’s insurgent party with Lia Nici, who served as Grimsby MP, and ex-Bolton West MP Chris Green.
The former Stoke-on-Trent North MP warned that the Conservatives have “lost touch” with voters as he criticised his old party over immigration and net zero. He said: “Leaving the Conservative Party after 18 years is not a decision I have taken lightly.
“Over time, I have watched a party I once believed in lose touch with the people it was meant to serve.
“From failing to control both legal and illegal migration to pursuing a net zero agenda that has seen a rise in our household energy bills and put jobs in Stoke-on-Trent’s world famous ceramics sector at risk, the Conservative Party has understandably lost the trust of the British people.”
The former Red Wall MP said Britain faces “serious and deep rooted challenges” and needs “bold, radical ideas alongside the determination to deliver them”.
Mr Gullis added: “Nigel Farage has shown, consistently over many decades, the courage of his convictions, and it is that strength of leadership which will drive forward the bold and radical reforms our country so urgently needs.
“I look forward to meeting Reform UK members locally and across the country, getting out on the doorstep, and working together to earn voters’ trust.
Jonathan Gullis has switched to Reform UK (Image: Getty)
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, one we must not waste, to bring about the change our country truly needs under a Reform UK government.”
The three defections are the first since East Wiltshire MP Danny Kruger left the Tories to join Reform in September.
They follow a series of others including former culture secretary Nadine Dorries, ex-Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry and Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who is now Reform’s Greater Lincolnshire mayor.
A Reform party source said: “The Conservative Party is dead. Only Reform can beat Labour at the next election as the polls show time and time again.”
It comes as Mr Farage’s party, which has five MPs, is consistently leading national opinion polls.
