A donor and personal adviser to Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has defected to Reform UK.
Mark Gallagher, who donated £2,000 to Badenoch’s leadership campaign in October—just weeks before she was touted as a successor to Rishi Sunak—has since left the Conservative Party.
According to reports, Gallagher quit the party two months ago and is now backing Reform UK, which has been performing strongly in recent opinion polls.
A Reform source told Sky News, which first broke the story, that Gallagher had become “very disenchanted” with the Conservatives and has been a long-time friend of Reform figurehead Nigel Farage.
Reform UK has seen a steady stream of defections from the Conservatives in recent months, including sitting MP Lee Anderson, Danny Kruger, and 18 former Tory MPs.
Just this week, London Assembly member and former Conservative council leader, Keith Prince, stood down as the transport spokesman for the City Hall Conservatives and has instead joined Reform.
One reported reason for the defection is Badenoch’s alleged repeated failure to respond to Mr Gallagher’s offers of assistance, leaving him feeling ignored.
In response, a Conservative source sought to downplay the significance of his departure, claiming Gallagher “has flitted between parties” and questioning his credentials as a committed Tory.
The source was unable to deny that Mr Gallagher continued to advise Badenoch when she became leader.
Speaking to Sky News, a Reform UK source said: "Nigel and Mark have been friends for a long time.
"We understand he is very disenchanted with the Conservative Party."
News of the defection will come as a blow to the Tory leader on the first day of the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.
