Andrea Jenkyns says 'time to pull up drawbridge' for Tory defectors
The Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire says Reform UK should stop taking Tory defectors soon to avoid “an establishment takeover”.
Newark MP Robert Jenrick became the latest high-profile politician to switch parties last week, following former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and MP Andrew Rosindell announced his switch to Reform UK this week.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has set a deadline of May 7 for Tories to jump ship.
Dame Andrea Jenkyns – who was a Conservative MP for nine years before standing for Mayor as the Reform candidate – backed this policy on social media.
“I completely agree with Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf to pull up the drawbridge to the Conservatives,” she said on X.
“We don’t need their arrogance saying they are coming on board to ‘help’. Nigel, Zia and the team are doing just fine.
“I joined because I want Nigel to be PM and because of the sovereign voice of our members.”
In a recent TV appearance on Jeremy Vine, she said: “We’ve got to the stage now where we need to pull up the drawbridge to the Tory party. Otherwise we risk an establishment takeover.”
Reform leader of Lincolnshire County Council Sean Matthews said recently there were two Lincolnshire MPs he would welcome, but the rest had no place in the party.
“I think there will be more coming across. Robert Jenrick might be the start of a wave,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
“The rest of Tory MPs in Lincolnshire are all Liberal Democrats in reality.”
Reform now has a total of seven MPs, including Boston and Skegness representative Richard Tice.