Danny Kruger’s decision to join Reform UK is a milestone moment for Nigel Farage’s party. It is one thing for former Conservative MPs who are out of Parliament to join the poll-topping populist party. But this is the first time a sitting Tory MP has crossed over to Reform.
The question now is whether he will be followed by anxious Conservatives who believe Mr Farage stands a better chance of bringing an end to a Labour Government than Kemi Badenoch. This would not be such a worry to the Tories if Mr Kruger were a fringe maverick, but he has been at the heart of different efforts to reboot British conservatism – and now he has decided the “Conservative Party is over”.
Mr Kruger was a speechwriter for David Cameron, penning what is remembered as his “hug a hoodie” speech in 2006, which called for youngsters to be shown a “lot more love”. He had a spell as Boris Johnson’s political secretary, ran Robert Jenrick’s leadership campaign and – until this week – served as a shadow work and pensions minister.
He also spent time as chief leader writer at The Daily Telegraph and was at the heart of the Centre for Policy Studies – one of the most influential tanks on the Right. This Old Etonian has impeccable Conservative credentials – he has spent much of his 50 years working to help the party of Churchill and Thatcher once again address the hopes and fears of the British electorate, and now he wants to see Mr Farage become prime minister.
Tory MPs who have long respected his independence, integrity and courage (few figures in Westminster have been as open about their faith, or as ready to stake out deeply controversial positions) will know this decision to switch tribes is not an act of simple opportunism. They will ask: “If Danny has found a political home in Reform, should I?”
His move sends out a clear signal to fellow committed social conservatives that they can go to Reform. There has long been tension within the Tories between liberals and those who passionately believe in what were once called “family values” but the two camps stayed together for fear of splitting the Right and handing power to Labour.
Mr Kruger knows every argument for staying in the Conservative Party, but has decided to join this new democratic venture.
He brings a nuanced approach to criminal justice, having founded Only Connect, which helps prisoners leave behind lives of crime. Compassionate Conservatives who might have feared a Reform government would take a “hang ’em and flog ’em” approach to crime-fighting will be intrigued by Mr Kruger’s decision and ask if they should follow him.
But the biggest reason Tories may switch from the blue team to the teal warriors is the fear that the Tory party is doomed.
During the last years of Conservative government, Mr Kruger was at the heart of the New Conservatives project. This brought together Tories who had won former Labour seats in Mr Johnson’s 2019 landslide. They pushed for action on immigration and their numbers included the likes of Lee Anderson and Marco Longhi – both of whom have joined Reform – and Miriam Cates, who has found a new way of reaching Britons through her work with GB News.
There was a near wipeout of New Conservatives last year on election night when Labour amassed its huge majority. Mr Kruger, who represents the Wiltshire seat of Devizes, survived – but his hunger for a new type of politics still burns.
Mr Kruger has given up trying to turn the Tories into an election-winning force that can hold back socialists and the progressive Left. He will now bring his philosophical and campaigning energies to Reform.
We are about to see whether he can craft policies which will make it into the Reform manifesto and excite the millions of voters who are disillusioned with the two traditional parties of power. His biggest challenge is just beginning.