Ex-Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry defects to Reform UK and declares it is 'the last chance to pull Britain back'
The close ally of Boris Johnson, 46, announced on Wednesday night he had left the Conservatives after 25 years of membership.
It is the latest blow for Kemi Badenoch 's party which is slipping behind Reform UK in the polls.
Sir Jake made the announcement via The Sun newspaper, saying the Tories had 'lost their way'.
He said: 'Our streets are completely lawless. Migration is out of control. Taxes are going through the roof.
'And day after day, I hear from people in my community and beyond who say the same thing: 'This isn't the Britain I grew up in'.'
Sir Jake added: 'For 25 years, I was proud to call myself a Conservative. Fourteen of those years, I served as an MP.
'I even sat at the Cabinet table twice. I believed in it. I gave it everything. Because I believed politics could still make this country better.
'But let's not kid ourselves. Britain is broken. It didn't start with Labour. The Conservative governments I was part of share the blame.'
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
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The Guardian
an hour ago
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The Independent
an hour ago
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