Twenty Tory councillors defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform Party as a poll showed growing Conservative discontent with Kemi Badenoch’s leadership
The Conservative Party under the leadership of Kemi Badenoch suffered a fresh blow on Tuesday after 20 councillors defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, citing dwindling confidence in her ability to lead the Tories into the next election.
The defections come on the heels of eight councillors who had earlier left the party for Reform in March, alongside a handful of MPs who crossed over to Labour.
The latest wave of departures follows a YouGov poll released Monday, which revealed that 50 per cent of Conservative members do not want Mrs Badenoch to remain party leader, while 46 per cent still support her.
In the same poll, 46 per cent of members said they preferred Robert Jenrick, whom Badenoch defeated in the party leadership contest, compared to 39 per cent backing her.
Reacting to the defections, Badenoch told ITV the party was “shedding a lot of the baggage of the last 14 years,” adding, “There are some people who will leave because all they want to do is win elections. They don’t know what they’re winning the elections for.”
The crisis underscores growing uncertainty over Conservative unity ahead of the next general election.