Two Bournemouth councillors defect from Conservatives to Reform UK
Wave of Tory defections reaches Dorset as two BCP councillors join Reform UK
Two elected Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) councillors have decided to leave the Conservatives to join Reform, marking the party’s first representation on the authority.
Councillors Cameron Adams and Duane Farr, who represent the Kinson ward, announced their decision to leave the Conservative group and join Reform UK on the final day of the Conservative Party’s autumn conference.
Their move forms part of a wider national wave of defections, with 20 Conservative councillors across the country said to have joined Reform in recent days.
Cllr Farr said the decision had been a long time coming: “I campaigned for the Leave campaign in 2015 and joined the Conservative Party to support Brexit.
“I don’t think they have managed Brexit properly and the public have now lost trust in the two main parties. I think the way forward is reform under Nigel Farage.”
Cllr Farr said he doesn’t expect a by-election to be called in Kinson but added that residents would have the opportunity to vote in 2027’s local elections.
The defection means all three Kinson ward councillors have now left the parties they were originally elected under in 2023.
Cllr Michelle Dower resigned from the Labour group in August to sit as an independent.
Labour group leader Cllr Patrick Canavan criticised the decision of the two former Conservative councillors not to stand down.
He said: “These two councillors were elected as Conservatives, and if they want to represent another political party, then they should resign their seats and stand again in a by-election.
“These defections are just a symptom of the collapse of the Conservative Party nationally. Their ship is sinking, and many councillors are bailing out.”
Conservative councillor Toby Slade responded to the defections on X, saying: “Two now ex-Conservative BCP councillors may have chosen a different path, but my mission remains unchanged – to deliver real results for residents, protect local services, and advocate for our communities.
“I remain fully committed to the Conservative values that brought me into public life: faith, family, and community.”