Former Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns has jumped ship to Reform saying she had ‘fought to the bitter end’ but the Conservative Party was now ‘beyond salvage’.
The former minister, who was given a damehood by Boris Johnson, will run as the Reform candidate to become Mayor of Lincolnshire in the upcoming May elections.
She became Reform’s 100,000th member, winning a pint with Lee Anderson, as Nigel Farage’s party closes in on the Tories’ total membership.
Jenkyns, who lost an 11,000 majority in July 2024, said she was joining ‘the party of the brave’ adding that ‘our once great country is at a crisis point’.
Andrea JenkynsGetty Images
Jenkyns’ move indicates her belief she has more of a chance of returning to politics with Reform than the Conservatives.
But what about current Tory MPs nervously watching Reform’s poll ratings creep upwards week on week?
GB News has crunched the electoral numbers and generated the eight MPs with the narrowest winning margins over a Reform candidate at the General Election 2024.
The former Secretary of State for Health saw off a challenge from Reform in her Lincolnshire constituency of Louth and Horncastle. The Tory big beast holds a majority, down from 28,868 in 2019.
Another Tory big beast who could benefit from jumping ship to Reform is Mark Francois. His 2019 majority in Rayleigh and Wickford was slashed from 31,000 to as Reform candidate Grant Randall hoovered up 12,135 votes.
Mr Whittingdale, MP for Maldon since 1992, saw off a Reform challenge by votes, an enormous drop from his 2019 majority of 30,041.
Mr Burghart, shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, won Brentwood and Ongar by votes over Reform UK’s Paul Godfrey.
Ms Lopez won the Hornchurch and Upminster constituency by a narrow votes over Reform UK’s Nicholas Palmer.
Elected in 2010 in Castle Point, Ms Harris defeated Reform candidate by a slender votes. The Shadow Chief Whip will be nervously watching Reform’s strong polling on the Essex coastline where she is MP.
Mr Roberston was elected to the brand-new constituency of Isle of White East, beating Reform’s Sarah Morris by votes.
Rounding out the list is Sir John Hayes- former Minister of State- who had his majoritySouth Holland and the Deepings slashed from 30,838 in 2019 to votes after a challenge from Reform’s Matthew Swainson.
There is a long list of MPs who’ve switched party allegiance while sitting.
Most recently was Natalie Elphicke who, on 8 May 2024, switched from the Conservatives to Labour, describing Sunak's government as "tired and chaotic".
That was one month after Dan Poulter had done the same, describing the Conservatives as a party which "no longer prioritises the NHS.”
Perhaps the most famous switch was Lee Anderson from Conservative to Reform, though he had been suspended for remarks about Islam by the Tories before he crossed the floor.