Andrew Rosindell has defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK, becoming the second Tory MP in a matter of days to join Nigel Farage’s party.
The Romford MP confirmed he had resigned from Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet and given up his Conservative membership, ending a 25-year career in the party. His move follows Robert Jenrick’s dramatic defection earlier in the week and brings Reform UK’s number of MPs to seven.
Rosindell has represented Romford since 2001 and had served as a shadow foreign office minister. His defection is the latest blow to Badenoch’s leadership as the Conservatives struggle to contain internal unrest ahead of local elections in May.
🧨 Another defection deepens Tory turmoil
Rosindell announced his decision in a statement posted on X, framing the move as a matter of principle rather than political convenience.
“Since joining the Conservative Party at the age of 14, I have been a loyal and committed supporter of the principles advocated by Margaret Thatcher that have always underpinned my own political beliefs,” he wrote.
“However, the time has come to put country before party.”
He said the Conservative Party’s handling of the Chagos Islands dispute had crossed a “clear red line”, accusing both past governments and the current opposition leadership of failing to defend British sovereignty and Chagossian self-determination.
The UK’s negotiations with Mauritius over the future of the Chagos Islands have become a flashpoint on the right, with Reform portraying the talks as a betrayal of national interests.
🌍 Chagos Islands cited as breaking point
Rosindell said the Conservatives were “irreparably bound to the mistakes of previous governments” and unwilling to take meaningful responsibility for them.
“The failure of the Conservative Party both when in government and more recently in opposition to actively hold the government to account on the issue of Chagossian self-determination and the defence of British sovereignty represents a clear red line for me,” he said.
He added that Reform UK was now “the only political movement that is genuinely willing to fight for the best interests of the United Kingdom”, repeating language increasingly used by former Conservative figures who have defected to Farage’s party.
“Our country has endured a generation of managed decline,” Rosindell said. “Radical action is now required to reverse the damaging decisions of the past and to forge a new course for Britain.”
🧹 ‘Spring cleaning’ as Badenoch loses another MP
A Conservative Party source said Rosindell had privately threatened to defect for months, but had continued to deny he was preparing to leave until as recently as the weekend.
They described his departure as another example of Nigel Farage doing Kemi Badenoch’s “spring cleaning” – echoing remarks Badenoch herself made after Robert Jenrick’s defection.
“The Conservative Party supported Rosindell throughout his many troubles, and he’s responded by stabbing his friends, colleagues and activists in the back,” the source said. “Reform are welcome to him.”
Badenoch had said only days earlier that she was “100% confident” no more shadow cabinet members would defect to Reform. Rosindell’s move undermines that claim and raises further questions about her grip on the parliamentary party.
🔁 Reform accelerates recruitment ahead of elections
Nigel Farage confirmed Rosindell’s defection on Sunday evening, saying the MP had spoken to him and agreed to join Reform UK ahead of the May 7 local elections.
“Andrew is a great patriot,” Farage said. “The Tories’ lies and hypocrisy over the Chagos Islands betrayal has tipped him over the edge, and we are delighted to welcome him to our ranks.”
Reform has imposed a self-declared cut-off date of May 7 for accepting defections from MPs and councillors, signalling a push to stabilise the party before the local elections.
When asked whether more defections were likely before that deadline, Badenoch told the Press Association: “I think people should be wondering why they set that deadline. Perhaps they’re worried that they’re not going to get anyone any more.”
🗳️ Opposition parties pile in
Labour Party chair Anna Turley said Rosindell’s move further blurred the distinction between Reform and the Conservatives.
“The stench of a failed and dying Tory party now engulfs Reform,” she said. “The Conservatives left public services on their knees, and Nigel Farage is now unconditionally trying to rehabilitate their disastrous record.”
“The public won’t be fooled,” Turley added. “The Tories failed Britain and Reform want to do it all over again.”
The Liberal Democrats also dismissed the defection, suggesting it reflected personal survival rather than political realignment.
“This isn’t a political earthquake,” a Lib Dem spokesperson said. “It’s a change of rosette for a career politician worried about getting a P45.”
📉 A pattern of collapse on the right
Rosindell’s defection reinforces a growing trend of senior Conservatives abandoning the party for Reform UK, despite Farage’s long-standing claims that Reform represents an insurgent, anti-establishment force.
With more than 20 former Conservative MPs now aligned with Reform in various capacities, critics argue the party increasingly resembles a refuge for disaffected Tory politicians rather than a genuine political alternative.
For Badenoch, the loss of a long-serving MP just months after taking over the leadership adds to mounting pressure as the Conservatives trail in polls and face difficult elections across England in May.
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