Former Conservative culture secretary Nadine Dorries has announced her defection to Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. Writing in the Daily Mail, the 68-year-old declared: "The time for action is now and I believe that the only politician who has the answers, the knowledge and the will to deliver is Nigel Farage."
Dorries described her departure from the Conservatives as deeply personal, stating: "My decision to leave the party I've served for more than 30 years is possibly the most difficult I've ever had to make, and it has taken me 12 agonising months to reach." She declared that "it's time for change" and to "make Britain great again", calling the Tory Party "dead".
Her defection follows bitter criticism of former leader Rishi Sunak (Conservative), whom she accused of "demeaning his office by opening the gates to whip up a public frenzy" against her. Dorries also accused Sunak of abandoning "the fundamental principles of Conservatism" and warned that "history will not judge you kindly".
Personal conviction drives change
Dorries explained her reasoning by stating that her "core beliefs" were the same as when she first joined the Conservatives in 1995, adding that the party "had changed not me". She wrote about Farage: "I have known Nigel Farage for some considerable time, and no-one can deny that he believes in what he says because he's been saying the same thing for more than 30 years."
The announcement comes just one day before Reform UK's party conference begins. Dorries represents the highest profile Conservative to join Reform UK, following earlier defections from former party chairman Sir Jake Berry, former Wales secretary David Jones and Dame Andrea Jenkyns.
Political backlash intensifies
Labour responded sharply to the defection, with a party spokesperson stating: "Nadine Dorries says the Tory party is dead - as one of the people who helped to kill it, she should know." The spokesperson criticised her loyalty to Boris Johnson despite "the partying in Downing Street during the pandemic while people couldn't see their loved ones".
A Liberal Democrat source remarked: "We don't know who to feel more sorry for, Kemi Badenoch or Nigel Farage." Green Party leader Zack Polanski described the move as logical, writing on X: "Nadine Dorries joining Reform isn't a shock. It's logical for a politics of cruelty, corruption, and the collapse of neoliberalism."
From council estate to Westminster
Born in Liverpool in 1957 and raised on a council estate, Dorries began her working life as a nurse before pursuing business ventures. She opened a child daycare business and later became a director at Bupa before entering politics.
After working for three years as an adviser to former shadow home secretary and shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin, she secured the Mid Bedfordshire seat in 2005. She served 18 years in the House of Commons before stepping down as an MP in 2023.
Ministerial career and controversies
Dorries' first ministerial appointment was as minister of state for patient safety, suicide prevention and mental health, during which she garnered criticism for rejecting cross-party talks to discuss mental health support for frontline workers during the pandemic. A staunch loyalist to Boris Johnson, she was promoted to secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport in September 2021.
Despite backing Liz Truss in the leadership race following Johnson's resignation, Dorries decided not to continue as culture secretary when Truss took over as prime minister. During her tenure, she frequently advocated for BBC reform and led the now-abandoned plan to privatise Channel 4.
Her parliamentary career was marked by several controversies, including admitting in 2009 that taxpayers footed the bill for a lost £2,190 deposit on a rented flat. In 2010, she was rebuked by parliamentary standards commissioner John Lyon for misleading constituents on her blog, admitting it was "70% fiction".
Celebrity spotlight moment
Dorries was thrust into the spotlight in 2012 when she was suspended from the Conservative Party for appearing on I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! without informing the chief whip. She was readmitted to the party in May 2013.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
