Nigel Farage has hinted that more top Tories will defect to Reform UK after ex-Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi shocked his former colleagues by switching allegiance.
The Reform UK leader, who unveiled Mr Zahawi as his 22nd defector this morning, revealed he is having conversations with disgruntled Tories ahead of the 2026 Local Elections.
He said: “There are plenty of people in the Conservative Party currently talking to me and some might fit and some might not fit.
“But they can all see that May 7 is an absolutely pivotal moment after which there is a strong chance that the Conservative Party after its couple of hundred years will cease to be a national political party, hence some of the conversations that are going on.”
However, Mr Farage also admitted Reform UK has rejected some wannabe defectors.
The Reform UK leader told reporters: “That is a very good question.
“Have we said no to people? Yes, we have. I’m not going to tell you [who], for goodness sake … We want people who believe in what we’re doing.”
Reform UK’s defection deluge started all the way back in March 2024, with Lee Anderson switching from the Tories after having the Conservative whip suspended for claiming Islamists have taken control of London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.
Ex-Tory MPs Lucy Allan, Mark Reckless, Andrea Jenkyns, Aidan Burley and David Jones followed suit later in 2024.
Marco Longhi, Ross Thomson, Anne Marie Morris, Sir Jake Berry, Adam Holloway, Nadine Dorries, Maria Caulfield, Sarah Atherton, Jonathan Gullis, Lia Nici and Chris Green joined last year.
However, Mr Zahawi’s defection is the most high-profile since current MP Danny Kruger switched to Reform UK in September 2025.
