A Conservative grandee who led a key northern England city’s Tory group has revealed his shock defection to Reform UK – after becoming “frustrated” with his former party. Stephen Thompson made the bombshell switch on Monday becoming Preston City Council’s first Reform member, 18 years after he was first elected to the town hall as a Tory.
Mr Thompson said he had been “thinking about” making the move to Reform “for a while”, adding: “I just felt the Conservative Party had 14 years to do a lot of things and they didn’t do some of the things they should have. “There was talk of the bonfire of the quangos but that never came off – and immigration, both legal and illegal, got a lot worse under them.”
The Preston Rural North representative, a huge political scalp for Reform UK, had led the smaller of the two opposition parties on the Labour-run city council since May last year.
Mr Thompson said: “People I talk to are just more in tune with Reform than any of the other parties – and I can very well understand why. I’m no different to them – I’m just a man on the street.
“I think the political system needs a serious reset and I just don’t think that the established parties have got any idea of how to do it or even the will to do it,” said Thompson.
He rejected any suggestion he joined Reform UK because of its current opinion poll lead or a desire to “preserve” his career in local politics.
But Mr Thompson said he has yet to decide whether to stand for re-election under the Reform UK banner next May.
The Conservative group on Preston City Council lost their status as the official opposition after the last poll in May 2024, in which they came in third behind the Liberal Democrats, who enjoyed a resurgence.
Deputy Conservative leader Harry Landless will take over as the group’s interim chief. He said he would be happy to continue in the role permanently if asked to do so by his four remaining Tory colleagues.
Mr Landless said he was “disappointed” by his former leader’s decision to defect, adding: “It didn’t come as a great shock in terms of him going, but the timing was a surprise.
“But he’s made his choice – and he’s got to do what he feels best for him.”
He said he remained “optimistic” about the Conservatives’ chances of regaining ground in the local elections in Preston next year.
“A lot can happen between now and then – we will see how Reform do [in] running Lancashire County Council for one thing.”