Former Kent Tory MP joins Reform
Adam Holloway lost the Gravesham seat to Labour last year
Former Kent Conservative MP Adam Holloway has defected to Reform UK, taking a furious swipe at his old party on the way out.
Mr Holloway, who represented Gravesham until he was unseated by Labour last year, accused the last Tory government of refusing to cut migration or stand up to “public sector radicals”.
In an astonishing attack on his former party, he says that Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is hamstrung by colleagues who would be Liberal Democrats “if the Lib Dems were winning”.
The former soldier and journalist said that Conservative values now “align more with Reform” and that the 2029 general election will be the country’s “last best chance”.
He said: “I’ve made this choice not because it’s easy or inevitable, but because the right-thinking people need to come together.”
Mr Holloway, 60, did not rule out trying to win back his old seat in the House of Commons which is now held by Dr Lauren Sullivan.
He said: “Some may say that I’ve moved to Reform because it may win my old seat. Of course that’s in my mind.
“But it’s not the reason. I know the road from protest to power is long. Reform may flare and fade.”
The Brexit-supporting former MP carried out a series of interviews ahead of the announcement breaking this morning, including an interview with the Kent Politics Podcast.
In an opinion editorial for the Spectator, Mr Holloway wrote: “The Conservative Party I thought I joined believed in sovereignty, secure borders, lox taxes, personal responsibility and cultural confidence. That party is no longer in government – and no longer deserves to be.
“It wasn’t just defeated at the ballot box – it was hollowed out by careerists masquerading as Conservatives.
“They got there thanks to Conservative Campaign Headquarters’ obsession with the divisive and racist dogmas…over merit and sense.”
Mr Holloway said the government was elected “on promises of control and competence delivered drift disillusionment and denial”.
He added: “From the refusal to cut migration, to cowardice in confronting public sector radicals, to the erosion of free speech, the Conservatives chose to manage decline, not resist it.”
He claims that Reform’s policies are not extreme and warned his new party has to be bigger than its leader, Nigel Farage.
Mr Holloway added: “It must grow beyond its extraordinary founder, lose some of its combative edges, continue to attract serious talent, further professionalise and develop to become a credible government-in-waiting.
“That will require discipline, time and luck to challenge the deep vested interests in parliament, the civil service, the unions and the wider public sector.
“As Ronald Reagan said ‘You gotta dance with the one that brung ya”. The Conservative Party forgot to dance with the people who brought it to power.
“The challenge for Reform – and any future allies – is to become fully fit and credible for the rescue mission of 2029, which may well be the United Kingdom’s last best chance”
Reform UK is now regularly polling above 30% and Electoral Calculus recently predicted it will be the biggest party in the UK parliament with 325 seats at Westminster at the next general election, just short of an overall majority. The Tories might win 41, according to its analysis.
In Gravesham, Dr Sullivan’s 2,712 majority would be converted into a near 15% Reform majority, according to the pollster, with Labour placed third, behind the Tories.
Paying tribute to his former party leader, Mr Holloway said: “Kemi is a fighter – but she’s surrounded by too many who’d be Lib Dems if the Lib Dems were winning. She can’t charge from a trench full of MPs who won’t follow her.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “Nigel Farage said: “I’m delighted to welcome Adam Holloway to Reform UK. His bold move shows that we are the only serious option in Kent and is testament to the fantastic work our councillors are delivering across the region
“Adam’s parliamentary and military experience will be vital as we look forward to the next general election.”
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