𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Reform UK’s chairman has refused to reveal the identity of the secret Labour defector set to be announced this week – but insisted only those who “subscribe to our values” will be accepted. Nigel Farage hinted at the fresh blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer after announcing former shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick as the latest addition to his insurgent party on Thursday. Speculation has abounded about who the “well known Labour figure” could be – with the main contenders including Labour lord Kate Hoey.

Reform chairman David Bull was tight-lipped when pressed on the issue during an appearance on the Daily Expresso podcast, but suggested the chatter around the defector’s identity was a sign that his party has a firm hold on the “political agenda”. “I’m not telling you,” he said. “The thing about politics is it’s a very dynamic industry. And also, everything is about timing. We don’t have to give away all our cards.”

While Mr Bull wouldn’t budge when pressed on whether Ms Hoey will be announced as a new Reform member this week, he did reveal that he had “turned down sitting members of parliament because they’re not a good fit”.

“What we cannot afford to do is be a retirement home for failed MPs,” he added.

“One of the USPs of this great party is, actually, I trained 200 people from Scotland and Wales last weekend – these people have never been in politics and they’re brilliant and they’re passionate.

“We will take people who subscribe to our values and only people who subscribe to our values.”

Although a number of names have been floated as potential Labour figures preparing to break ranks, Ms Hoey has been touted as a particularly likely candidate due to her political history.

The former MP for Vauxhall, who stood down in 2019, was a staunch Brexiteer and worked closely with Mr Farage during the EU referendum campaign.

Mr Jenrick’s defection – followed closely by Romford MP and ex-shadow affairs minister Andrew Rosindell – provoked questions about his trustworthiness and compatibility with his new colleagues, with whom he frequently clashed while in the Tory Party.

Ms Hoey, in contrast, could be seen as a safer bet.

Daily Express political editor Sam Lister also put weight behind the Labour lord’s name in an appearance on the Expresso podcast last week.

“My instinct would be to go back and look at the Brexiteers because they know [Farage],” she said. “You know, they’ve worked with Nigel for a long time.”