Latest news with #defections
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Reform warns it wouldn't take Liz Truss or Suella Braverman if they decided to leave the Tories amid concerns they would damage the party's image
After a string of recent defections, it turns out there are some Tories Reform still wouldn't take. Nigel Farage is set to reject any bids to jump ship from Suella Braverman or Liz Truss amid concerns they would damage Reform's image, the Mail has learnt. Speculation is rife that Mrs Braverman could switch allegiance while Ms Truss has been tipped as a potential defector. Despite the huge publicity value of attracting a former home secretary or prime minister, Reform sources said neither would be welcome. One well-placed insider claimed Mrs Braverman was 'not a team player', adding: 'Her record shows she is just too disruptive.' And the source said Ms Truss joining would be a 'non-starter' as she has 'far too much baggage in the public's mind'. Mr Farage said this week a defection bid by Ms Truss would trigger 'a lot of internal debate'. Reform has brought in senior Tories such as former Cabinet ministers Sir Jake Berry and David Jones this week, as well as ex-MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns – now the party's Greater Lincolnshire mayor. And the source said Ms Truss joining would be a 'non-starter' as she has 'far too much baggage in the public's mind' Mr Farage also confirmed Reform has spoken to serving Conservative MPs but played down the prospect of imminent defections, saying candidates were 'watching and waiting'. The Reform leader warned he would be 'picky' about which Tories to accept, saying: 'We are not the Conservatives 2.0 and we don't want to look like them.' Mrs Braverman has refused to rule out switching to Reform. Last year, her husband Rael defected to the party. After Reform's surge in May's local elections, she said she understood why voters were 'flocking' to the party. But her period in government was marked by controversy. In 2022, she announced her bid to succeed Boris Johnson as Tory leader while still serving as his attorney general. She was forced to quit as Home Secretary by Liz Truss and sacked from the same role a year later by Rishi Sunak. Kemi Badenoch yesterday said Tories who have defected were 'never Conservatives to begin with', adding: 'These are former MPs who do not like the direction the party is going, because we are becoming more Conservative.'
The Independent
14-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Russell Findlay distances himself from Kemi Badenoch defector comments
Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay has distanced himself from comments by the national party's leader who claimed defections were a 'good thing'. Kemi Badenoch faced journalists in Edinburgh on Friday after her first address to the Scottish Tory conference since taking over the job. Her first appearance came amid a stream of defections from the Tories, mainly to Reform UK, with one MSP – Jamie Greene – moving to the Liberal Democrats. While Mr Findlay has generally been conciliatory when elected members announce plans to move, Ms Badenoch said the departures were a 'good thing' because those who left 'don't believe in conservatism'. Speaking to the PA news agency on Saturday, after his own inaugural address to the Scottish party conference, Mr Findlay said: 'I'm always disappointed when I see anyone choosing to the leave the party for whatever reason. 'The reasons are varied and I can't get inside the minds of everyone who might choose to do so.' Asked if he agreed with the 'good riddance' attitude of Ms Badenoch, he said: 'I would never say that about anyone that chooses to go elsewhere. 'It's more of a disappointment than anything else.' The UK party leader also told journalists she did not understand how someone could vote for the Scottish Government's blocked gender reform proposals in 2022 and call themselves a conservative, in a direct attack on Mr Greene. But two of the party's MSPs, frontbencher Dr Sandesh Gulhane and former leader Jackson Carlaw, voted for the legislation. Asked if he believed the pair were conservatives, Mr Findlay said: 'Of course they are conservatives and they have realised that they got that vote wrong.' The Scottish Tory leader also hit out at Mr Greene, who has accused him of 'undoing Ruth Davidson's broad-church conservativism in favour of right-wing propaganda' on the same day Mr Findlay sat down with the former leader.
Wall Street Journal
05-06-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
U.K. Fintech Firm Wise to Move Main Listing to U.S.
LONDON—British payments company Wise WISE 6.46%increase; green up pointing triangle said it plans to move its main stock listing to the U.S., in the latest blow to European markets that have experienced a wave of defections. The details
