Nigel Farage’s wish list of Tory MP defectors to Reform is getting shorter. That’s mainly thanks to the fact that so many have gone over to Reform already (Andrew Rosindell, the MP for Romford, announced his move late on Sunday). But some of Reform’s targets are also ruling themselves out.
Shortly before Christmas the Pygge overheard Farage on the House of Commons terrace loudly declaring the names of Tory MPs who are Reform-adjacent (such behaviour spooks the Tories marvellously).
Top of the list was Jack Rankin, the new intake MP for Windsor, who has made a splash in parliament with interventions about grooming gangs, “two-tier justice” and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) internships in the intelligence services. “He should be one of ours,” the Pygge heard Farage say of Rankin.
But the MP for Windsor says that, while flattered, he will be staying with the parliamentary party to which he was elected for the first time in 2024. “Always nice to be wanted, but staying put,” he told the Pygge. Speculation continues.
[Further reading: What do the public think of Robert Jenrick?]
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