Richard Tice tells Jacob Rees-Mogg ‘join Reform’ as Tory defections ramp up: ‘You’re a real conservative!’
Reform UK leader Richard Tice made a direct appeal to ex-Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg on GB News, inviting him to join the populist party.
“You’re quite right, that’s because you’re a real conservative,” Tice told Jacob “The actual Conservative Party is a left-leaning establishment bunch of folk that doesn’t want those real conservative values.”
“You’re in danger of being in no man’s land and I want to give you that warm embrace to Reform,” he added.
Jacob defended his position within the Conservative Party, emphasising its institutional importance.
“The Conservative Party as an institution is on our side. I’m not trying to defend the last couple of years, but Kemi Badenoch is actually conservative,” he responded.
He suggested Reform UK’s role was to keep the Conservatives true to their values, stating: “Reform is important because it makes sure the Conservative Party remains conservative.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
- Nigel Farage mocks ‘woke’ Christmas crackers that don’t bang for the sake of the environment
- Reform’s funding boost the ‘beginning of the end for the Tories’ as Nigel Farage takes ‘revenge’
- ‘Part of the decline of this once great nation’: Bleksley speaks out on huge train etiquette debate
The exchange comes as Reform UK announced property tycoon Nick Candy as its new treasurer.
Candy, who donated more than £270,000 to the Conservatives between 2020 and 2022, resigned his Tory membership citing “too many broken promises”.
The billionaire property developer will take up his role in the new year, pledging to “raise enough funds for them to win the next general election”.
“We are the fastest-growing movement in British politics today,” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said of the appointment.
Tice emphasised the importance of competition as a conservative principle during the GB News exchange.
“A conservative principle is belief in competition and that is a great thing,” he told Rees-Mogg.
Reform UK has seen several high-profile defections in recent days, including former Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns.
The party also welcomed Suella Braverman’s husband Rael, who left the Conservative Party stating it had “become a shadow of what it once stood for”.
Recent polling has shown Reform UK’s growing influence, with one Find Out Now poll putting the party on 24 per cent, just two points behind the Conservatives and one point ahead of Labour.
The party currently has five MPs in Westminster, having secured 4.1 million votes in the July general election.
Reform UK’s membership has now surpassed 105,000, with 400 branches across the UK.
The party is focusing on professionalising its operations ahead of the 2025 Local Elections under chairman Zia Yusuf.