The defection of another high-profile tory poses the question – who could be next? (Image: Getty)
yesterday became
The former minister claimed that had she done so before the election she would likely have retained her seat as she highlighted selection as leader was the catalyst to make the change.
She told Sky News: “”I just don’t think she is the right leader of the ” as she pointed out Badenoch’s decision not to rip up all EU regulation in the wake of during her time as Business Secretary.
Jenkyns, who famously ousted in the West Yorkshire seat of Morley and Outwood at the 2015 general election, lost her seat in July’s election with Reform splitting the vote, allowing Labour to win by nearly 8,000 votes.
With many other prominent seeing their once huge majorities sliced alarmingly thin in July, could others be considering a similar move to a party that leader
Below, the Express takes a look at three Tory MPs that could be at the very top of and Reform’s target list.
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Jenkyn’s defection is the latest blow for the Conservative Party (Image: Getty)
Victoria Atkins
The former was ran all the way by Reform challenger Sean Matthews in July, winning with a majority of 5,506, down by more than 23,000 votes in 2019.
Since her election and no doubt conscious of the significant support for Reform in her constituency, the one-time remainer was front and centre at , proudly supporting a union jack blazer.
Ordinarily, would be considered a centrist Conservative and not your typical Reform defector. But given the support for the party in her constituency and the growing popularity of the newly formed party, only a fool would rule it out.
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Atkins attended the farmers’ protest in a union jack blazer (Image: Getty)
Julia Lopez
In 2017 and 2019, Julia Lopez won her seat comfortably, in both instances earning more than double the amount of votes as her opponent in second place.
But 2024 was a public warning for Lopez, as with dozens of MPs, as support for Reform slimmed her majority from over 13,000 to less than 2,000, with Reform in second place.
Lopez has spoken passionately on the asylum crisis that she feels is blighting Britain and has not ruled out support a move to leave the .
But she has spoken positively about new leader and was awarded a role in the shadow cabinet as Shadow Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport, meaning that for now at least, a move to Reform would seem unlikely despite the threat posed in her constituency.
The outspoken MP for Rayleigh and Wickford saw his sizeable majority slashed in July’s election (Image: Getty)
Mark Francois
is another MP who was challenged heavily by Reform in this year’s general election.
After winning a majority of 31,000 in 2019, he was pushed all the way by Reform candidate Grant Randall who won more than 12,000 votes to help cut Francois’s majority down to little over 5,000.
Francois has been outspoken in his criticisms of the handling of the migration crisis and has opposed and is a supporter of , values not too dissimilar from those held by Reform’s current batch of MPs.