Ex-deputy chair among Tory defections to Reform

The former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party is among three ex-Tory MPs who have defected to Reform UK.

Jonathan Gullis, who represented Stoke-on-Trent North until 2024, confirmed his defection and said he believed the Conservatives had "lost touch with the people it was meant to serve".

Chris Green, former Bolton West MP, and Lia Nici, who represented Great Grimsby, have also joined Reform, the party confirmed to the BBC.

The latest round of defections are the first since Danny Kruger, the sitting MP for East Wiltshire, left the Tories to join Reform in September.

Gullis, who currently serves as mayor of Kidsgrove in Staffordshire, said: "From failing to control both legal and illegal migration to pursuing a Net Zero agenda that has seen a rise in our household energy bills and put jobs in Stoke-on-Trent's world famous ceramics sector at risk, the Conservative Party has understandably lost the trust of the British people."

During Gullis's time in Parliament, he served as Minister for School Standards in the Department for Education and was appointed as deputy chairman of the Conservative Party last year.

His defection came one month after councillor Daniel Jellyman, the Conservative group leader on Stoke-on-Trent City Council, also joined Reform UK and became the party's leader on the local authority.

Reform UK gained its first seat on the city council after councillor Luke Shenton won a by-election in May.

Shenton said: "Jonathan's decision to join us is a huge boost for Reform UK locally.

"Together, we'll fight for the hardworking people of Stoke-on-Trent, and build a real alternative to this tired political establishment."

The Staffordshire Conservatives have been approached for comment over Gullis's defection.

Green served as Bolton West MP from 2015 to 2024 and was formerly a parliamentary private secretary in the Department for Education.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the Conservative Party had "broken trust with Britain".

"It is clear that Reform has the vision needed for Britain and I have joined to make it a reality," he added.

"Reform understands what created the national malaise and understands what the solution needs to be."

Nici was elected to the Great Grimsby seat in 2019, later serving as parliamentary private secretary to the Prime Minister, before also losing her seat in 2024.

The BBC has approached Nici about her defection but she has declined to comment.

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