A Tory grandee has broken his silence after being named as a potential defector to Reform UK.
Sir Edward Leigh, who first obtained ministerial experience under Margaret Thatcher and now serves as Father of the House, was identified among a trio of top Tories placed on “defection watch”.
However, Leigh categorically rejected any speculation about him switching his blue rosette to join Farage’s Reform ranks.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, the Gainsborough MP said: “I’m not going to defect.
Nigel Farage
Getty“Some people might say that I’m too old and idle to defect, and I certainly don’t want the aggravation, and I certainly don’t want to be disloyal to all the many people who supported me locally in 11 general elections.
“So, I’m not the defecting type. But I’m not sure that I’d want to defect anyway because the Conservative Party, for all its faults, it has many faults, has been part of our history for 200 years and I am perfectly happy to fight for it.”
Leigh, who admitted he is angry about the way the Tories “unleashed mass immigration”, added that he believes Kemi Badenoch will soon advocate for leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.
Despite sharing some warm words for the Tory leader, Leigh issued a warning about the need to come to some sort of electoral arrangement with Farage.
Father of the House Sir Edward Leigh speaking during the debate of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillPALeigh, who has already made several comments about needing a “Unite the Right” agreement, said: “It’s far worse than 1997 … the Referendum Party quickly faded away but we now have a party to the right of us which is hoovering up our people.
“This is an existential crisis for the Conservative Party … I think our only hope, at some time, not now because Farage thinks he’s going to destroy us, but before the General Election, is that we’re going to have to do a deal with Reform.”
However, the 74-year-old warned it remains “unlikely” that Farage can become Prime Minister without a pact.
Both Badenoch and Farage have dismissed talk of an alliance to topple Starmer.
Kemi Badenoch
GETTY
Reform UK insiders have pointed to the 2025 Local Elections and recent opinion polls to suggest that Farage can make it into No10 on his own.
Analysis conducted by Electoral Calculus found that Labour would suffer an electoral wipeout if the 2025 Local Elections were played out in the next national poll.
A ward-level breakdown of the results from the May 1 elections shows that Labour would lose all but three of the seats it holds in the areas that voted on May 1.
Reform UK would win 81 seats out of the 145 up for grabs, with the Liberal Democrats snatching 31 constituencies and the Conservatives clinging on to just 25.
Sir Edward Leigh MPPAMeanwhile, Tory sources fear an overt alliance could dissuade Blue Wall voters who are now sympathetic to Sir Ed Davey’s Liberal Democrats.
Looking at the problems facing the Tories, Leigh added: “It seems pretty obvious to me that we’re in an existential crisis and we’re going to get out of it.
“Our only hope as a party is to occupy the same ground as Reform on immigration and net zero and these other issues that are driving people crazy.”
Leigh also extended an olive branch to Rupert Lowe after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to bring charges against the ex-Reform UK MP following allegations of threatening behaviour.
When asked if Lowe could join the Tories, Leigh asekd: “Why not?”
