𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

It’s the talk of Westminster – who will be the next Conservative MP to switch sides and join Reform? Nigel Farage’s party scored a major coup when it convinced former Tory chancellor Nadhim Zahawi to join.

Mr Zahawi is just the latest in a long line of converts, including sitting ex-Conservative MP Danny Kruger. One thing’s for sure – Mr Farage is good at keeping secrets. Both these defections came as a surprise when they were officially announced.

So we’re very unlikely to know who the next person to defect will be until the moment it’s actually announced. But here are the five Conservative MPs Mr Farage would be particularly pleased to welcome to the Reform fold:

Former home secretary Suella Braverman (real name Sue-Ellen, because she’s named after the Dallas character) held her seat in the 2024 General Election but has kept a fairly low profile since then.

Husband Rael Braverman has already joined Reform, but quit because the party criticised his wife’s record in Government.

But to be fair, Reform is supposed to say nasty things about the other parties. That’s politics. And as we saw with Mr Zahawi, who Mr Farage also criticised heavily in the past, this isn’t an obstacle to Conservative politicians switching sides.

Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith is a passionate campaigner against poverty and for giving children from every walk of life a fair chance to succeed.

But he aims to achieve these goals using conservative methods, such as getting people into work and strengthening the family.

This makes him an ideal candidate for Reform, which is keen to show it has a plan for Britain that deals with more than Brexit and immigration, the issues Mr Farage is best known for.

One of the dangers for Reform UK is that voters begin to see them as a refuge for old – some cruel people might even say “failed”, however unfairly – Tory politicians.

This is a line of attack used repeatedly by Sir Keir Starmer, who suggests that Reform doesn’t offer change at all and would simply bring the last government back into power.

So Mr Farage might welcome Katie Lam, a rising star on the Tory benches who became an MP for the first time in 2024 and is already, aged 34, a shadow minister.

Sir Mel, the Shadow Chancellor, has developed a reputation for quiet competence, taking the fight to Chancellor Rachel Reeves and highlighting the poor state of the economy.

He may not yet be a household name, but he’s a key part of Kemi Badenoch’s team.

Cruicially, he is highly rated by Conservative activists. Polling by the ConservativeHome website found he was the second most highly rated member of the Shadow Cabinet, putting him ahead of Mrs Badenoch, who is third.

The chances of him defecting, however, are probably low.

But there is one Shadow Cabinet member who Westminster insiders think could one day be tempted – and the same poll put him in first place as the most popular Tory politician among the party faithful. His name is Robert Jenrick.

The Shadow Justice Secretary probably has the highest profile of any member of the Shadow Cabinet except for Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch herself.

He stood for the party leadership in 2024 and has a high level of support within the party, despite losing to Mrs Badenoch.

Mr Jenrick has a knack for publicity, as shown when he filmed himself taking on fare dodgers on the London Underground.

He also has experience in government as a former communities secretary, something Mr Farage really needs.

The Reform leader has admitted one of his party’s weaknesses is a lack of experience in running the country, though he is tackling this by bringing former Tory ministers into the Reform fold.

But the real reason Mr Jenrick would be a coup for Reform is that it would suggest the Tories really are finished. Mr Jenrick is ambitious – not a bad thing. If he decides the Conservatives have no future, others might agree.

But two politicians are banned

Nigel Farage has said former Tory prime ministers Liz Truss and Boris Johnson will definitely not be allowed to join Reform, even if they wished to.