Ex-Tory chairman defects to Reform

Former Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry has defected to Reform, in the latest blow to the Conservatives.

The former MP for Rossendale and Darwen, who served as Northern Powerhouse minister under Boris Johnson, said he had defected to Nigel Farage's party because the Tories had "lost their way".

Reform UK confirmed the defection to Sky News, which was first broken by The Sun.

Speaking to The Sun, Sir Jake said Mr Farage's party was "last chance to pull Britain back from terminal decline".

"Our streets are completely lawless," he said.

"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 accused his former party of "abandoning the British people" but said he was not "giving up".

"I'm staying. And I'm fighting.

"Fighting for the Britain I want my kids, and one day, my grandkids, to grow up in."

Sir Jake's defection to Reform comes just days after former Conservative cabinet minister David Jones joined Reform UK, which continues to lead in the polls.

Mr Jones, who was MP for Clwyd West from 2005 until standing down in 2024, said he had quit the Tories after "more than 50 years of continuous membership".

"It was, naturally, a very difficult decision for me," he said.

"I joined the Conservatives all those years ago because I believed it was the party that best reflected my values and beliefs. Regrettably, that is no longer the case.

"Today, Reform UK is the party that best represents my views - and, I believe, those of many others who have become disillusioned with the two old major parties."

Sir Jake was the MP Rossendale and Darwen in Lancashire between 2010 and 2024, when he was defeated by Labour's Andy MacNae.

He held several ministerial posts including in the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Energy and Climate Change and the Cabinet Office.

He was also chairman of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022, under Liz Truss.

Announcing his defection - which comes a year after the Tories suffered their worst ever election defeat - Sir Jake said "Britain was broken" and "the Conservative governments I was part of share the blame".

"We now have a tax system that punishes hard work and ambition. Just this week, we saw record numbers of our brightest and best people leaving Britain because they can't see a future here. At the same time, our benefits system is pulling in the world's poor with no plan for integration and no control over who comes in.

"If you were deliberately trying to wreck the country, you'd be hard-pressed to do a better job than the last two decades of Labour and Tory rule.

"Millions of people, just like me, want a country they can be proud of again. The only way we get that is with Reform in government. That's why I've resigned from the Conservative Party. I'm now backing Reform UK and working to make them the next party of government.

He added: "And with Nigel Farage leading Reform, we've got someone the country can actually trust. He doesn't change his views to fit the mood of the day. And people respect that. So do I. That's why I believe he should be our next Prime Minister.

"If we want to fix this country, it's time to be bold again. It's time to believe again. It's time for Reform."