CapX: Will Kruger’s defection remake the British Right?

Well, they’ve done it: Reform UK have, by the defection of the former Tory MP Danny Kruger, grown their Parliamentary party to five – exactly as it was after last year’s general election.

Each rise and fall of Nigel Farage’s gang of MPs speaks to Reform’s weaknesses and strengths. The loss of James McMurdock and Rupert Lowe, both of whom were elected as Reform but now sit as independents, reflects the party’s issues with candidate selection and inability to contain anybody who stands up to Farage.

Their two replacements in the Commons, on the other hand, represent Reform’s strengths. Sarah Pochin’s election in the formerly safe Labour seat of Runcorn & Helsby confirmed the party’s impressive showing in the opinion polls. And Kruger’s defection shows that Reform can appeal to more than just the has-beens and never-should-have-beens in the Tory Party, but to current MPs as well.

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