Tory MP claims she defected to Reform before Conservative Party suspended her

Sign up for the View from Westminster email newsletter and receive expert analysis straight to your inbox.

Get our free Westminster View email

A Tory MP leaving Parliament has claimed she quit the party and supported Reform UK in her vacated Shropshire constituency before the Conservatives suspended her.

Outgoing Telford MP Lucy Allan said Reform’s Alan Adams offered an alternative to “more of the same politics and more of the same politicians” as she publicly endorsed him as her successor in her constituency rather than her own party’s candidate at the upcoming general election.

The Tory party responded by suspending her with immediate effect on Monday, but she herself claimed she had already resigned to support Mr Adams rather than Conservative Hannah Campbell.

In another blow to Rishi Sunak, who was appointed after a rocky start to his election campaign, Ms Allan said: “I have resigned from the Conservative Party to support Alan Adams in his election as the next MP for Telford.

“I have known Alan for many years and he really is the best man for the job. I want the best for Telford and I cannot simply give the Labour candidate a free kick.”

She won Telford in 2019 with a majority of 10,941 votes, but in 2017 the Conservatives won by just 720 votes – and she first won the seat in 2015 with a majority of 730 votes.

Ms Allan said: “Alan is not interested in personal gain, power or control over people. Alan’s motivation for standing for election is deeply honourable. He will be honest with Telford and put Telford first.”

“Alan is giving Telford a choice so that Telford does not have to settle for more of the same policies and more of the same politicians.”

Rishi Sunak warned potential Reform voters that they could “bring Keir Starmer to power”.

During a campaign visit to Buckinghamshire, he told reporters: “I think when it comes to reform, I understand people’s frustration, but it’s very simple: either Keir Starmer or I will be Prime Minister on July 5.”

“So if you’re someone who wants strong borders and wants to get a grip on illegal migration, if you’re someone who wants a more pragmatic, serious and sober approach to net zero that puts energy security and lowering people’s energy bills first, then I’m going to deliver that, not Keir Starmer.”

“That is the decision in this election. For people who are thinking about voting for other parties, particularly Reform, that just means Keir Starmer comes to power and you will not see any change on the issues that matter to you.”

Veterans Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer told Times Radio that Ms Allan’s move was “not good news – but it does not mean the campaign is stalling”.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Lucy Allan has been suspended from the party with immediate effect.

“The people of Telford now have the chance to vote for a committed and hard-working new candidate who will put Telford first. A vote for reform is a vote for Keir Starmer.”

A Reform Party spokesman said: “We are of course delighted that they are supporting our candidate in Telford.

“Like many Conservatives, she believes that the Reform Party represents traditional center-right values ​​and priorities in a way that the Conservative Party has long forgotten.”

It is the latest sign of unrest in the Tories’ ranks following the Prime Minister’s decision to call an early general election.

Conservative peer Lord Goldsmith, an ally of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, sharply attacked Mr Sunak, indicating that he believed the Conservatives were heading for an electoral disaster.

“I understand the anger at Sunak, who has done almost irreparable damage to the party and virtually guaranteed that the majority of his MPs will lose their jobs next month,” the former minister said.

“But it is difficult to have much sympathy when you consider that none of this would have happened without the cooperation of the majority of the party and that what is unfolding now was entirely predictable – even predicted.

“The hope is that when Sunak disappears to California in a few weeks, there will at least be a few decent MPs left around whom we can push forward the rebuilding process.”

Mr Sunak insisted he would stay in Britain whether he won the election or not.

Asked about the claim that he was moving to California, he told ITV News: “That’s just not true. I mean, that’s just not true.”

Southampton fan Sunak added: “This is my home. I mean, my football team has just been promoted back to the Premiership and I hope to see them in the Premier League for many years to come.”