By Eniola Amadu
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has downplayed concerns about members defecting to Reform UK, describing the rival party as an “easier option” for those unwilling to face difficult times.
Speaking to BBC East ahead of the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, Badenoch insisted her party remained the only one “competent and tough enough” to deliver effective governance.
Her comments come amid growing defections from the Conservatives to Reform UK across the East of England.
Reform now has 185 councillors in the region, many of whom are former Conservatives.
The latest to switch allegiance is Suffolk County Councillor Philip Faircloth-Mutton, who resigned from his cabinet role to join Reform.
He accused the Conservatives of becoming “an irrelevance” and said the party no longer represented “common sense values” held by his constituents.
A Conservative member for 19 years, Faircloth-Mutton said frustrations over stagnant productivity and immigration had contributed to his decision.
“People are feeling hard up,” he said. “I feel Reform is the one pushing for genuine change and common sense solutions to genuine problems.”
Reform’s growing presence has been most visible in the East of England, where it now runs two local councils in Northamptonshire and has councillors in more than 20 authorities.
The party also won three parliamentary seats in the region during the 2024 general election, including those of Nigel Farage in Clacton and Rupert Lowe in Great Yarmouth.
However, Badenoch was quick to point out that two of those MPs — Lowe and James McMurdock of South Basildon & East Thurrock — have since left Reform.
She rejected the notion that defections were a sign of deeper trouble within her party.
“I’m not worried,” she said. “The fact of the matter is, we made mistakes in government — my job is to draw a line under that. Deciding you’re going to jump to an easier party because they’re doing well in the polls, that’s not going to work.”
Badenoch argued that those leaving lacked the resilience needed for leadership.
“If people aren’t tough enough to deal with difficult times, then they’re not tough enough to run a government,” she said.
While acknowledging that rebuilding trust would take time, Badenoch urged patience among supporters.
“The last oppositions have been there for 14, 13 and 18 years. This is not going to happen overnight,” she said.
Criticising Reform’s approach, she added: “They say things people want to hear, but they don’t stand up to scrutiny. Making announcements is easy; a slogan is not a solution. We’re the grown-ups in the room.”
