Nigel Farage and Nadine Dorries (Image: GETTY)
Nadine Dorries has defected to Reform UK in another coup for Nigel Farage. The former Cabinet minister declared that the Conservative Party is “dead” as she announced her move on the eve of Reform’s conference.
She told the Daily Mail: “The Tory Party is dead. Its members now need to think the unthinkable and look to the future.” Reform leader Mr Farage said he was “absolutely delighted” to welcome Ms Dorries to his insurgent party.
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He added: “She is a hugely successful politician, author and columnist and will be a great boost to our campaign to win the next general election.”
She will deliver the opening speech at Reform’s conference in Birmingham tomorrow.
Ms Dorries reportedly decided to defect because she thinks the Labour Government could collapse within two years and that Tory leader Kemi Badenoch would not be in a position to win a general election.
The close ally of former prime minister Boris Johnson is said to have held secret talks with Mr Farage at the exclusive 5 Hertford Street private members’ club in Mayfair.
But it is understood that the Clacton MP did not guarantee her a job in a future Reform administration.
Ms Dorries has not ruled out a return to the Commons after stepping down in 2023 after 18 years representing Mid Bedfordshire.
The former culture secretary has switched to Reform after three decades as a party member.
She is expected to use her influence with Mr Farage to urge him to reach an agreement with right-wing Tory candidates to avoid splitting the vote.
It comes as Reform, which currently has four MPs, is consistently leading national opinion polls.
Nadine Dorries defects to Reform UK in massive boost for Nigel Farage
Nadine Dorries has defected to Reform UK, delivering one of the most high-profile endorsements of Nigel Farage’s political project and providing the party with another prominent former Conservative voice.
The former culture secretary announced her decision in September 2025, shortly before Reform’s annual conference in Birmingham. Dorries, a former Conservative MP and long-time ally of Boris Johnson, said the Conservative Party was “dead” and argued that its members needed to look towards the future.
Her decision immediately attracted political attention because Dorries was not simply a former Conservative backbencher. She had served in government, held a Cabinet position and remained closely associated with the political battles surrounding the Conservative Party’s years in office.
Although she had stepped down as an MP in 2023 after 18 years in the House of Commons, her move to Reform gave Farage another well-known figure with experience at the heart of Conservative government.
A dramatic break with the Conservatives
Dorries described leaving the Conservatives after more than three decades as an extremely difficult decision.
She joined the party in 1995 and remained a Conservative throughout her parliamentary career. She served as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport under Boris Johnson before leaving government in 2022. She subsequently became increasingly critical of the direction taken by the Conservative Party.
Her announcement therefore represented a significant political break.
In comments accompanying her decision, Dorries argued that the Conservatives could not win the next general election. She also criticised the party for repeatedly changing leaders and claimed that it had moved away from the principles she originally joined to support.
“The Tory Party is dead,” she told the Daily Mail, according to contemporary reports, adding that Conservative members should “think the unthinkable and look to the future”.
Her intervention was particularly notable because it came at a time when Reform was attempting to attract voters and politicians who had previously supported the Conservatives.
Farage welcomes the move
Nigel Farage welcomed Dorries into Reform and presented her arrival as evidence that the party could attract people with substantial political experience.
Dorries herself said she believed Farage was the politician who possessed the knowledge and determination to address some of Britain’s most pressing political issues.
Among the subjects she highlighted were immigration, law and order and public spending. She acknowledged that she would not necessarily agree with Farage on every issue, but argued that they shared important political objectives.
The distinction is important.
Dorries did not claim that Reform and her previous party were identical. Instead, she presented her decision as a response to what she regarded as the Conservatives’ failure to maintain the political principles that had originally attracted her to the party.
That argument has become an increasingly common feature of the competition between Reform and the Conservatives.
Another former Tory joins Reform’s ranks
Dorries’ defection came amid a broader movement of former Conservative politicians towards Reform.
Other prominent figures had already moved towards Farage’s party, including former Conservative chairman Jake Berry, former Wales secretary David Jones and former MP Andrea Jenkyns. Later, Reform attracted additional former Conservative politicians, including Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman. Reuters reported in January 2026 that Reform had benefited from a series of high-profile defections from the Conservatives.
The pattern has created a political dilemma for the Conservatives.
On one hand, former ministers and senior politicians bring experience, established networks and public recognition.
On the other, Reform has sought to portray itself as an alternative to the established political system. The arrival of former Conservative figures can therefore raise questions about how far Reform is becoming a destination for former members of the very political establishment it criticises.
That tension was already visible when other prominent Conservatives joined the party.
Sky News reported in January 2026 that some Reform figures had privately expressed concern that the arrival of former Conservative politicians could make the party appear too much like a home for ex-Tories.
Dorries and the Boris Johnson connection
The move also carried an additional layer of political significance because of Dorries’ relationship with Boris Johnson.
Dorries was one of Johnson’s most prominent supporters during his premiership and later wrote books examining the internal battles that contributed to the Conservative Party’s difficulties.
Her political journey therefore gives her a particular perspective on the Conservatives’ recent history.
She has argued that the party changed rather than her own core beliefs.
That distinction was central to her explanation for joining Reform.
From her perspective, moving to Farage’s party was not necessarily a rejection of traditional Conservative ideas. Instead, she portrayed it as a consequence of her belief that the Conservative Party had abandoned important elements of the political platform she had originally supported.
Immigration and public spending
Dorries’ decision also highlighted two of the issues that have become central to Reform’s political identity.
Immigration has been one of Farage’s defining political subjects for decades.
Reform has advocated significant reductions in immigration, tighter asylum policies and changes to Britain’s approach to border control. Dorries said she shared the objective of reducing immigration and supported tougher policies on law and order.
Public spending was another area of common ground.
Reform has argued for substantial reductions in government expenditure and has presented itself as a party willing to challenge what it regards as waste within the state.
Supporters see such policies as necessary to reduce taxation and improve government efficiency.
Critics question whether the scale of proposed reductions could be achieved without affecting public services.
The disagreement illustrates why Dorries’ move should not simply be understood as a change of party label. It reflects a wider argument about the direction of British conservatism.
The Online Safety Act controversy
There was also an obvious policy contradiction surrounding Dorries’ move.
As culture secretary, she played a role in the development of the Online Safety Bill, which eventually became the Online Safety Act.
Reform has subsequently criticised the legislation and called for significant changes to Britain’s online-safety framework.
The contrast was highlighted by Labour, which argued that Dorries was moving from a government that had introduced the legislation to a party opposed to it.
The issue illustrates the complications that can arise when former ministers change political allegiance.
Dorries’ supporters could argue that politicians are entitled to change their minds as circumstances change. Critics can point to differences between the policies they promoted while in government and those subsequently advocated by their new party.
What does her defection mean for Reform?
The practical significance of Dorries’ move was partly symbolic.
She was no longer an MP when she joined Reform, meaning that her defection did not immediately change the party’s numbers in the House of Commons.
However, her public profile gave the announcement considerable media attention.
She had served in Cabinet, remained a recognisable political figure and had written extensively about Conservative politics.
Her presence could therefore contribute to Reform’s effort to demonstrate that its support extends beyond a relatively narrow group of established Farage supporters.
At the same time, the move created another question for Reform: how does the party combine its anti-establishment identity with an increasing number of politicians who have previously held senior positions within Westminster?
That question became more prominent as further Conservative figures joined.
The Conservative response
The Conservatives did not attempt to prevent Dorries from leaving.
A Conservative Party spokesperson was reported as saying that they wished her well.
Politically, however, the defection provided an opportunity for criticism from Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
Labour argued that Dorries’ own political record made her criticism of the Conservatives difficult to separate from her previous role within the party.
The Liberal Democrats also used the announcement to criticise both the Conservatives and Reform.
Such reactions are typical of defections involving senior politicians: the departing politician presents the move as evidence that the former party has lost its way, while opponents portray the defection as evidence of political instability or inconsistency.
A changing British political landscape
Dorries’ move needs to be understood within the broader fragmentation of British politics.
For decades, Conservative and Labour dominated national politics.
The rise of Reform has complicated that pattern, particularly among voters who previously supported the Conservatives.
Farage has sought to turn Reform into a permanent political force rather than simply a protest vehicle.
High-profile defections help demonstrate that ambition.
Yet the long-term significance of individual defections remains uncertain. A politician joining a party does not automatically mean that voters in their former political constituency or wider supporter base will follow.
The same applies to public opinion about Reform itself.
Polling can measure voting intention and perceptions at particular moments, but it cannot establish what the result of a future general election will be.
Dorries’ new role
Dorries’ arrival nevertheless gave Reform another experienced political communicator at a moment when Farage was seeking to expand the party’s appeal.
Her experience in government, her long association with the Conservative Party and her public criticism of its leadership provided Farage with an additional voice capable of explaining why some former Conservatives were moving towards Reform.
Her decision also reinforced a central message from Farage: that Reform wants to compete not merely as a protest party, but as an organisation capable of attracting people who have previously operated at the highest levels of British politics.
Whether that strategy will ultimately broaden Reform’s support remains a question for voters.
What is clear is that Nadine Dorries’ defection marked an important moment in the continuing reshaping of Britain’s political right.
For the Conservatives, it represented another prominent departure from their ranks.
For Reform, it added a former Cabinet minister and a well-known political figure to its growing circle of supporters.
And for Farage, it provided another opportunity to argue that Britain’s political landscape is changing — with former Conservatives increasingly willing to look beyond the party they once regarded as their political home.