Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has brushed off the latest defection to Reform UK by saying that some people “cannot deal with tough times in opposition”.
Conservative former armed forces minister Sarah Atherton has joined Reform UK, saying the Tories had failed the armed forces.
She joins other former Tory MPs who have defected to Nigel Farage’s outfit, including Dame Andrea Jenkyns, Nadine Dorries and Adam Holloway.
Ms Atherton, who served as MP for Wrexham for four years from 2019 to 2024, said: “The Conservatives promised strength but delivered weakness.”
It comes as a blow to Mrs Badenoch’s party ahead of its conference starting in Manchester this weekend amid persistently poor polling.
The Tory leader told the PA news agency: “Leaders are always concerned and always sad to lose party members.
“Former MPs have been defecting. Many of them are going where they think the wind is blowing.
“We saw this last year. We had sitting MPs defect to Labour because Labour was riding high in polls.
“And what I would say to the public is that the Conservatives had a historic defeat. This is a tough time for us.
“But if people cannot deal with tough times in opposition, they definitely will not be able to deal with tough times in government.”
Ms Atherton served in the intelligence corps, before later training as a nurse.
In Parliament, she served as armed forces minister for 37 days after being appointed by Liz Truss.
She had previously resigned as a parliamentary private secretary to the Foreign Office in 2021 over Tory plans to keep sexual offences against female troops tried within military courts.
She quit the Tories in August, but had told Welsh-language broadcaster S4C she wanted to stand in the Welsh Parliament elections.
She had previously said the Conservatives should “embrace” Mr Farage’s party.
Writing in the Daily Express on Thursday, Ms Atherton also criticised Labour’s “soundbites, shallow reviews and fudged spending figures”.
She said: “After years in Parliament, I came to the same conclusion many soldiers, sailors and aviators already know: the system doesn’t listen.
“Both Conservatives and Labour have failed Britain’s armed forces.
“The Conservatives promised strength but delivered weakness.
“Troop numbers are at their lowest in modern history, recruitment targets repeatedly missed, families still housed in damp, mouldy quarters.
“The Navy struggles to crew the ships we have, while the RAF mothballs aircraft faster than it replaces them.
“I rebelled as a Conservative MP by voting against the Armed Forces Bill. It was career-limiting, but the right thing to do.
“For me, allegiance to King and country always outweighs blind loyalty.”
She went on to say she had joined Reform because of its patriotism.
She wrote: “From its inception, Reform has been unashamedly patriotic, built on the core value of Britain first.
“It is the only party fighting to ensure the people’s voices are heard and the only one serious about restoring our armed forces.”
Reform UK has been contacted for comment.
