Twenty councillors have abandoned the Kemi Badenoch-led Conservative Party to join Nigel Farage’s Reform Party. The mass defection, which took place on Tuesday, follows a YouGov poll revealing that half of Tory members do not want Badenoch to lead the party into the next general election.
The latest move adds to the eight Tory councillors who had earlier crossed over to the Reform Party in March, amid growing discontent within Conservative ranks. Some Members of Parliament had also previously defected to the Labour Party, signaling deeper fractures within the Conservative fold.
Reacting to the development, Badenoch downplayed the defections, describing them as a “necessary cleansing” for the party. In an interview with ITV, she said, “We’re shedding a lot of the baggage of the last 14 years. Just last year, MPs were jumping to Labour because Labour was doing well in the polls. They’re not doing so well now. There are people who leave because all they care about is winning elections — not what they’re winning for.”
The YouGov poll released on Monday showed that 50 percent of Conservative members do not support Badenoch’s continued leadership, while 46 percent think she should remain in charge. The same survey indicated that 46 percent of party members would prefer Robert Jenrick — whom Badenoch defeated to become leader — compared to 39 percent who still back her.
The developments come as the Conservative Party faces waning popularity and internal dissatisfaction following years of electoral and policy challenges, while Nigel Farage’s Reform Party continues to attract disillusioned right-wing voters seeking a new political direction in Britain.
