Kemi Badenoch told former Tory politicians thinking of defecting to Reform they are welcome to 'jump ship' and stop holding back her party today.
The opposition leader lashed out at 'banana republic' politicians trying to save their careers after Sir Jake Berry, the former Conservative Party chairman, became the latest ex-MP to join up with Nigel Farage.
The 46-year-old, who was a Tory MP for 14 years, claimed Mr Farage was 'someone the country can actually trust' and could arrest the nation's 'decline'.
He is the latest former minister to join Reform, following ex Welsh secretary David Jones last week.
But asked about the slew of minor former ministers dripping from the Tories to Reform today Mrs Badenoch 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.'
