A Conservative former armed forces minister has joined Reform, saying the Tories had failed the Armed Forces.
Sarah Atherton, who served as MP for Wrexham for four years from 2019 to 2024, said: āThe Conservatives promised strength but delivered weakness.ā
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 āembraceā Nigel Farageās party.
Writing in the Daily Express on Thursday, Ms Atherton also criticised Labourās āsoundbites, shallow reviews and fudged spending figuresā.
She said: āAfter years in Parliament, I came to the same conclusion many soldiers, sailors and aviators already know: the system doesnāt listen.
āBoth Conservatives and Labour have failed Britainās Armed Forces.
āThe Conservatives promised strength but delivered weakness.
āTroop numbers are at their lowest in modern history.
āRecruitment targets repeatedly missed.
āFamilies still housed in damp, mouldy quarters.
āThe Navy struggles to crew the ships we have, while the RAF mothballs aircraft faster than it replaces them.
āI rebelled as a Conservative MP by voting against the Armed Forces Bill.
āIt was career-limiting, but the right thing to do.
āFor me, allegiance to King and Country always outweighs blind loyalty.ā
She went on to say she had joined Reform because of its patriotism.
She wrote: āFrom its inception, Reform has been unashamedly patriotic, built on the core value of Britain first.
āIt is the only party fighting to ensure the peopleās voices are heard and the only one serious about restoring our Armed Forces.ā
Ms Atherton will now join other former Tory MPs who have defected to Reform, including Dame Andrea Jenkyns, Nadine Dorries and Adam Holloway.
Reform UK and the Conservative Party have been contacted for comment.
