Reform Mocked As Yet Another Ex-Tory Defects

Reform UK has been torn apart on social media as it accepted yet another former Tory MP into the party.

Ben Bradley was the Conservative MP for Mansfield from 2017 to 2024, but lost his seat to Labour at the last general election.

Bradley, the former leader of Nottinghamshire county council, announced on Wednesday evening that trust in both Labour and the Conservatives was “gone and not coming back”.

“Successive governments have failed to deliver for so many people, and have demonstrated that they’re unwilling to actually deliver on key promises to voters,” he said.

Bradley is set to serve as Reform’s “head of local government” and work on the party’s “Doge” cost-efficiency campaign with deputy leader Richard Tice.

He was the former vice chair of the Conservative Party when Theresa May was prime minister but quit over her Chequers Brexit deal which he rejected.

He also rebelled against Boris Johnson by voting against the Tory whip to oppose the government’s plans for vaccine passports and compulsory vaccination for NHS staff.

Bradley joins 21 other former Tory MPs who have recently switched to Reform, including recent frontbencher and serving MP Danny Kruger and ex-Tory minister Andrea Jenkyns. They both now have jobs within the party.

But Reform has repeatedly rejected claims that it is turning into the “Tories 2.0”, especially after reports alleged Nigel Farage told his donors he expected to form an electoral pact with the rival right-wing party ahead of the next general election.

The party leader claimed any such allegations were “ludicrous” as “a deal with them as they would cost us votes”.

But social media was quick to point out that this latest hire does not exactly help their case…

Plenty of Labour MPs – including minister Torsten Bell – jumped in too…

Others took aim at Bradley in particular, remembering how he has form for changing his mind…