Romford MP Andrew Rosindell becomes latest Tory to defect to Reform | Reform UK

The Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell has joined Reform UK, the party has announced.

Rosindell, the MP for Romford since 2001, said on X that he had joined the Conservative party at the age of 14, inspired by the principles advocated by Margaret Thatcher but that “the time has come to put country before party”.

“The failure of the Conservative party both when in government and more recently in opposition to actively hold the government to account on the issue of Chagossian self-determination and the defence of British sovereignty, represents a clear red line for me.

“Since entering parliament in 2001, I have consistently argued, both from the backbenches and the frontbench, that the right of self-determination of the Chagossian people is sacrosanct, and that they alone should decide the future sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.

“Regrettably, these concerns have fallen on deaf ears. Both the government and the opposition have been complicit in the surrender of this sovereign British territory to a foreign power. This was made abundantly clear by the failure of Conservative peers to vote down the British Indian Ocean territory bill at third reading earlier this month, following direction from the top of the party.

“Sadly, I now believe that the Conservative party is irreparably bound to the mistakes of previous governments and unwilling to take meaningful accountability for the poor decisions made over so many issues. Moreover, the views and concerns of constituents such as mine in Romford have been consistently ignored for far too long.”

Rosindell, 59, follows a growing list of Conservatives defecting to Nigel Farage’s party, including Robert Jenrick and Nadhim Zahawi.

The Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, said Rosindell was tipped “over the edge” by “Tory lies and hypocrisy over the Chagos Islands”.

In a message posted on X, Mr Farage said: “I am delighted to welcome Andrew Rosindell to Reform UK.

“Andrew is a great patriot. The Tory lies and hypocrisy over the Chagos Islands betrayal tipped him over the edge.

“He will be a great addition to our 7 May campaign.”

Reform has set 7 May – the date of local elections in which they hope to make significant gains – as a cut-off point for admitting current and former MPs, as well as for councillors to defect.