Top Tory defects to Reform in huge blow for Kemi Badenoch

The Conservative Party has been hit with a further defection on the eve of their conference in Manchester. Veteran Tory Keith Prince, who represents Havering and Redbridge on the London Assembly, announced his decision to join Nigel Farage's Reform UK after nearly half a century spent in the Conservatives.

The 67-year-old is now the second Reform member of the London-wide body, alongside Alex Wilson and provides another headache for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. In September, highly-regarded Tory MP Danny Kruger left the party for Reform, claiming that it was "over". In announcing his decision, Prince painted a similar picture, claiming that the party was "done and dusted" and "no longer an effective opposition to this failing Labour Government".

Discussing the defection, Prince said: "Today I join Reform UK after 49 years as a member of the Conservative Party. I am really excited to be a joining a party with a charismatic leader and a vision for a better Britain."

Mr Farage, who in the wake of Kruger's defection suggested that more politicians could be set to make the switch, hailed Prince's move as "an important moment for the party".

He added: "With Keith's defection, Reform UK now has an official group on the London Assembly for the first time.

"Our impressive progress in London continues, and we are building our momentum ahead of London's local elections next May."

The Conservative Party has plummeted in the polls since last year's election, while Reform UK has seen its popularity rise. Some polls suggest that leader Nigel Farage is currently the favourite to form the next government and become prime minister.

The Conservative Party announced ahead of its conference in Manchester that it would withdraw the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights if it won the next election in an effort to curb immigration.

The Tories said so-called "lawfare", including lawyers using the ECHR to halt deportation attempts, had "frustrated the country's efforts to secure its borders and deport those with no right to be here".

The move has been called a "cowardly" attempt to "gut this country's human rights protections" by rights groups.

The traditional centre-right party has also been accused of lurching to the right and mimicking Nigel Farage, who has vowed to quit the ECHR if he enters office.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp insisted there was "a massive difference" between his party's plan and Reform UK's.

He told BBC Breakfast: "Reform have slogans. They shoot from the hip. They write down slogans on the back of a fag packet. You remember last week Nigel Farage had some announcement, and it fell apart within about 10 minutes because he had forgotten about European Union citizens.

"What we have here is a very, very carefully thought-out position. It's taken months of legal work. We know exactly what the implications are for things like the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, the Trade and Co-operation Agreement.

"We know exactly how we can then use the freedom outside the ECHR to get control of our borders."

In response to the pledge to leave the ECHR, a Labour Party spokesperson said: "Kemi Badenoch has adopted a policy she argued against in her own leadership campaign because she is too weak to stand up to her own party in the face of Reform."

"Badenoch now thinks she is both incapable of negotiating changes to the ECHR with our international partners, and a sufficiently accomplished diplomatic operator to renegotiate the Good Friday Agreement, despite not even knowing some of the most basic facts about Northern Irish politics as recently as yesterday.

"This is a decision that has been forced on her and not thought through.

"While the Tories and Reform fight amongst themselves, this Labour Government is cracking down on people-smuggling gangs, deporting foreign criminals and bringing forward workable and decisive solutions to bring order to Britain's borders."