Kemi Badenoch has hit back at Tory defectors to Reform UK, accusing them of behaving “like they do in banana republics”.
Former Conservative chairman Sir Jake Berry became the latest Tory to join Nigel Farage’s party, announcing the move on Wednesday night.
Announcing his defection, Sir Jake said his former Conservative colleagues had “lost their way”.
But on Thursday, Mrs Badenoch suggested politicians such as Sir Jake had “probably been holding us back for a long time” and were “welcome” to leave.
She said: “There are a lot of people who come into politics just to play the game of politics, and they will follow polls and defect wherever they can, like they do in banana republics, to wherever they think that they can win.”
She added: “All of the people who are not interested in coming up with a proper policy plan and just want to jump ship are welcome to do so.
“Because when the time comes at the next general election, the public are going to be looking for a serious, credible alternative.”
Sir Jake was the latest in a string of Tory defectors, joining former Wales secretary David Jones, former minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns and others in jumping ship to Reform.
The defections have raised questions over whether politicians on the right regarded Mr Farage’s party as a better bet for election than the Conservatives.
Mrs Badenoch’s comments came in response to media questions after a speech at the Centre for Social Justice think tank in which she called for tougher action on welfare reform.
Warning that Britain was becoming “a welfare state with an economy attached”, she described the current system as “unsustainable” and called for sickness benefits to be withdrawn from people with less serious conditions.
She said: “Anxiety and depression are real conditions, but that doesn’t mean that those suffering should be signed off work courtesy of the taxpayer.”
She also criticised the Motability scheme, which allows people with serious mobility problems to exchange their personal independence payment, often along with an additional up-front payment, for a lease on a car.
Mrs Badenoch claimed that vehicles were now being provided to people with conditions such as constipation, ADHD and drug misuse, saying: “Food intolerances are a medical fact, but they’re not something we should be handing out a new car for.
“This is not a joke, this actually happens.”
The Tory leader also took aim at both Labour and Reform, claiming that neither had a plan to reduce the welfare bill with the Government “beholden to their left-wing MPs” and Mr Farage proposing to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
Meanwhile, Labour and the Liberal Democrats criticised Mrs Badenoch for failing to commit to keeping the pensions triple lock.
Asked whether the Conservatives would look at the triple lock as a way of getting the welfare bill down, Mrs Badenoch had said: “We need to look at where the money is going. The immediate problem we can fix right now is around working-age benefits. Those pensions are not working-age benefits.”
She added: “The triple lock is Conservative policy. We brought in that policy.
“Right now we think that the area to focus on is health and disability benefits. There are too many people out of work.”
A Labour Party spokesman said Mrs Badenoch had “put pensioners on notice”, adding: “The Tory leader has repeatedly refused to commit to the triple lock and has talked up means testing pensions.
“This simply means less money in the pockets of retirees is now Tory policy. Pensions are not safe with the Tories.”
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “Badenoch’s tying herself in a triple knot over the triple lock. It’s about time she gave pensioners peace of mind and committed to keeping it.”
