Reform has become a Tory old boys' club

NIGEL Farage has always sold himself as the antidote to the political establishment.

- JJ Anisiobi

He's the bloke who'd burn the Westminster furniture rather than rearrange the cushions. But Reform UK is starting to look less like a revolution and more like a Conservative recycling centre, with more than 20 former Tory politicians having defected since the last election.

Let me be clear: Jonathan Gullis, the former Tory deputy chairman, is a mate of mine. I like him. He's got the kind of robust opinions and Red Wall-energy that suits Reform.

If you're building a party that thrives on bluntness and populist edge, Gullis fits the brief.