Nigel Farage Prepares to Unveil 'Former Labour MP' as Reform UK's Newest Defector

Nigel Farage is preparing to reveal a former Labour MP as Reform UK's newest high-profile defector, a move that could send fresh shockwaves through Westminster and sharpen the pressure on Sir Keir Starmer's leadership.

The move, teased by party deputy leader Richard Tice and recent defector Robert Jenrick, signals a strategic expansion of Farage's 'glorious revolution' beyond disillusioned Conservatives and into the heart of Sir Keir Starmer's traditional support base.

Coming just days after senior Tories Robert Jenrick and Nadhim Zahawi crossed the floor, the looming announcement is engineered to sustain Reform UK's double-digit poll lead and cement its position as the primary opposition to the Labour government.

Jenrick has now gone a step further, confirming that the next high-profile arrival will not be a Conservative at all, but a figure from Labour's past.

Speaking to Times Radio on Monday, the former Tory frontbencher said: 'There are some people in the party who have come from the Conservative Party. There are many people who have come from other political parties as well.'

He added: 'There may be a former Labour MP joining the party in the days ahead.' Those few words have set Westminster rumour mills spinning, fuelling frantic speculation over which ex-Labour parliamentarian is preparing to share a platform with Farage.

Reform UK Defection Threatens To Upend Westminster

Jenrick's own journey has already been bruising for the Conservative leadership. He stood against Kemi Badenoch in the recent contest for the Tory leadership, losing out in a vote of party members and finishing second.

After that defeat, he was appointed shadow justice secretary, a post that kept him on the front line of opposition politics. That position unravelled last week when he was caught planning to defect to Reform UK, triggering a rapid backlash from his now-former boss.

Badenoch moved quickly, sacking him from her Shadow Cabinet before withdrawing the Conservative whip entirely. Within hours, Jenrick had completed his jump to Reform UK, offering Farage both a recognisable face and fresh momentum at a time when the traditional parties are under pressure.

The sense of movement has only intensified with Andrew Rosindell's decision, now-former Conservative MP for Romford, to join Reform over the weekend. Each new defection adds to the image of a party that is no longer a fringe protest vehicle but a growing force able to attract seasoned Westminster operators.

Reform UK's Cross-Party Lure Leaves Starmer Exposed

For Labour, the prospect of a 'former Labour MP' lining up alongside Farage is politically toxic. Starmer has staked his leadership on presenting Labour as a government-in-waiting, and any suggestion that past Labour figures believe Reform UK better reflects voters' frustrations risks cutting through on the doorstep.

Farage's party has already been surging in the polls, topping more than 100 surveys. In many of those, the Conservatives and Labour have been relegated to second and third place, a symbolic reversal that would have been almost unthinkable just a few years ago.

The defections from the Conservatives have grown so frequent that Farage has tried to draw a line under them. He has set a deadline of 7 May, declaring that he will not welcome any more Tory MPs or councillors after that date, a move designed to counter claims that Reform UK is merely a rebadged right-wing Conservative faction.

That cut-off comes after opponents in Labour and the Liberal Democrats accused him of turning Reform UK into a Tory-lite outfit. By preparing to unveil a former Labour MP, Farage is signalling that his ambitions stretch well beyond hoovering up disillusioned Conservatives and into breaking down old party loyalties altogether.

Taking on a defector from Labour would mark a clear shift in Reform UK's strategy, which until now has largely feasted on Conservative unrest. It would also offer Farage a powerful symbolic moment: a chance to show that dissatisfaction with the political establishment is not confined to one party.

For now, no MPs — current or former — have confirmed to the Daily Express that they are preparing to make the move. That silence only sharpens the intrigue, ensuring that all eyes will be on Farage's planned press conferences later this week, where the identity of Reform UK's latest catch may finally be revealed.