Ex-Tory minister Nadine Dorries defects to Reform UK

"Former Conservative minister Nadine Dorries has defected to Reform UK. Speaking to the Daily Mail, the ex-MP for Mid-Bedfordshire said: "The Tory Party is dead. Its members now need to think the unthinkable and look to the future." Dorries served as culture secretary and as a health minister under Boris Johnson, of whom she was a close ally. She is the latest in a string of defections from the Conservatives to Reform UK, including former Welsh Secretary David Jones and ex-Tory Chairman Sir Jake Berry."

"Reform UK's Zia Yusuf said Dorries would be an "asset" to the party. Speaking to BBC Breakfast from Birmingham, he said: "Nadine has laid into the Tory record and has announced that in her view the Tory party is dead, and we agree with her." Asked if Dorries would be in any future Reform UK cabinet Yusuf said that would be "a decision for Nigel and I think he's some way from making that decision"."

"Before joining Parliament in 2005, Dorries worked as a nurse and later became a bestselling author of a series of novels based on her upbringing in Liverpool. She also appeared on the ITV reality TV show I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here - a decision that saw her briefly suspended as a Conservative MP. Dorries stepped down as an MP in 2023, after 18 years in the House of Commons, with an attack on then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak."

Nadine Dorries has left the Conservative Party to join Reform UK, declaring "The Tory Party is dead" and urging members to "think the unthinkable." Dorries previously served as culture secretary and as a health minister under Boris Johnson and was a close ally. Her move follows other high-profile defections to Reform UK, including David Jones and Sir Jake Berry. Reform figures described her as an "asset," while a Conservative spokesman said "We wish Nadine well." Dorries stepped down as an MP in 2023 after 18 years and said leaving the Conservatives was the most difficult decision, reached over 12 months, while retaining her core beliefs since 1995.

Read at www.bbc.com