Former Conservative Party chair defects to Reform UK

Nigel Farage has landed a major scalp as he seeks to revive the momentum in his flagging Reform UK party with the defection of a former Tory chair.

- DAVID MADDOX

Sir Jake Berry, who chaired the party during Liz Truss’s 49-day premiership and had been a staunch ally of Boris Johnson, has announced in an interview with The Sun that he has joined Reform.

The move is a major blow to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch who had hoped she was turning the corner after a difficult start in the role.

Sir Jake was a renowned campaigner who founded the influential Northern Research Group of Tory MPs before losing his Rossendale and Darwen seat in Lancashire in 2024.

It also comes at a vital time for Reform who had begun to slip in the polls and seen membership dip in recent weeks.

The party had also been hit by a new scandal involving one of its MPs James McMurdock who had resigned the whip and become an independent amid questions over a Covid loan he took during the pandemic which he failed to repay.