Twenty Conservative Councillors Defect to Reform UK During Party Conference

Approximately 20 Conservative councillors defected to Reform UK on October 7, 2025, coinciding with the Conservative Party conference in Manchester. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, dismissed the move as a "stunt" and argued the party is "shedding a lot of the baggage of the last 14 years" as it undergoes a "long journey back from a historic defeat."

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage characterized the Conservative Party as "dead" and incapable of serving as an effective opposition. Defecting officials, including Caroline Clapper, Brett Rosehill, and Barry Dunning, cited a lack of conviction and a failure to protect British values. Dunning specifically criticized inadequate local government funding and the party's shift toward the left.

At the conference, Badenoch promoted policies to leave the European Convention on Human Rights and reduce public spending by £47 billion. Simultaneously, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick alleged a "deep rot" in the judiciary and proposed abolishing the sentencing council, though these calls drew criticism from the Labour Party and former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption.

Internal Conservative divisions emerged as Lord Frost urged the party to stop vilifying Reform voters and shift further right to survive. In contrast, Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly labeled Farage a "socialist." Both Badenoch and Farage have ruled out a formal deal between their respective parties.