Why has a former Tory cabinet minister just defected to Reform?
The decision of David Jones to defect is the latest symptom of that malaise. After 50 years as a card-carrying Conservative, the former Welsh Secretary now says that 'Reform UK is the party that best represents my views'. The ex-MP cites the cost of living, illegal immigration and the 'erosion of our national sovereignty'. Pointedly, he notes 'I wrote to the party chairman in October to inform him of my intention not to renew my membership. I did not receive a reply'. That will resonate with many disgruntled activists.
Critics will jibe that Jones is not the most high-profile of names. This was, as he himself admits, a defection long in the making. Yet it would be foolish to dismiss his decision to switch parties. Jones says he has no plans to stand for election. Instead, he will offer a useful source of advice as Reform tries to find 40 high-calibre Senedd candidates. His years of experience will aid the new party's development of a credible policy platform too. 'He will play a key role in the background', says an aide. 'Frankly, that was needed.'
Jones' decision helps Reform in other ways too. The criticism of Nigel Farage has always been that he is unable to build an effective team around him. With 16,000 members now, those within the Welsh party argue that this is clearly no longer the case. Jones' decision will be taken as a green light by other Tory waverers, with future defections already in the works. He will likely play a role in future broadcast commitments, helping to share the burdens of leadership and prove that Reform is not a one-man band.
Farage is expected to make more barnstorming visits to Wales over the coming months. But members of his team are now looking to 'spread the magic' of the limelight to others over the next 12 months. In England, that will probably be Zia Yusuf and potentially, Lee Anderson, to highlight his journey from the pit to parliament. But in Wales, Jones, as Reform's most senior defector to date, is likely to fill that gap.
The key for Reform will be learning from the mistakes of the Welsh Conservatives. Thus far, the party has stressed its broad base, peeling off Plaid supporters in the West and Labour voters in the south valleys. If they can avoid the splits on devolution that have riven the Tories, Reform UK will be well placed to win 30 seats come next May.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
14 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Record number of farms shut in wake of inheritance tax raid
A record number of farms were forced to close for good this year after Rachel Reeves's tax raid made the future of thousands of rural businesses unviable. A total of 6,365 agriculture, forestry and fishing businesses have closed over the past year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the highest since quarterly data was first published in 2017. The majority of these closures took place during the first six months of the year after Ms Reeves, the Chancellor, announced in October that she would cut the amount of inheritance tax relief available to family farms. Just 3,190 businesses in the sector have been set up over the same period. It leaves a net loss of 3,175, indicating the number of farms is shrinking at the fastest pace on record. Victoria Atkins, the shadow environment secretary, said the farm closures were a result of 'Labour's disastrous tax policies'. She added: 'The crippling NICs increases, alongside the family farm and family firm taxes, are destroying generational businesses, creating job instability and even leading to devastating suicides. 'These statistics prove that Labour do not understand our rural communities and our rural communities cannot afford Labour.' Lee Anderson, a Reform UK MP, said rising taxes and red tape were 'pushing British farming to the brink'. 'No government in modern history has done more damage to rural Britain than Labour is right now,' he said. 'Farms are closing at twice the rate new ones are opening. This is completely unsustainable. Labour has betrayed the industry that helped build this country.' 'Beaten from post to pillar' Farmers are also grappling with the soaring cost of fertiliser and a poor harvest following the recent drought and floods last year. James Grindal, a 55-year-old third-generation farmer in South Leicestershire, said the poor weather and barrage of costs mean new farmers and entrepreneurs are reluctant to set up businesses in the industry. He said: 'Yields are quite a bit down this year, it has been so dry – we have not had decent rain for four or five months. 'People have been beaten from post to pillar. Whichever way you turn you seem unwanted. 'The Government is not over-supportive of us, with inheritance tax relief disappearing.' Mr Grindal's 84-year-old father still works on the farm and remains a part-owner. However, he warned that the Chancellor's tax raid meant that when his father dies, the family will be unable to invest in the farm as planned. Mr Grindal said: 'He is still actively involved in the farm – he still sits on tractors occasionally, why shouldn't he own a bit of the land he has worked hard to own? Out of nowhere [this tax was] dropped on us. 'When he passes away we are going to have to pay a fair bit of tax on that. It will probably stop us from doing some of what we are doing. 'I could understand the tax if we were going to sell it. But we are not, we are going to keep growing corn and feeding people.' Currently, family farms do not incur inheritance tax, receiving full relief on the usual 40pc rate. Under the changes introduced by Ms Reeves which take effect from April 2026, inheritance tax will be charged at a rate of 20pc, above a threshold of £1m. Farmers have objected that their businesses are typically cash-poor and low-margin, meaning they will be forced to sell chunks of their land to settle the bill. Mr Grindal said that the tax changes meant his teenage sons would be even more reluctant to take on the family business. 'There are not many people coming new into the industry. I've got two boys, 19 and 17, and I very much doubt they will come into farming,' he said. 'There is not a great deal of encouragement to get up at the crack of dawn and work all day and not get much reward for it, when they see what else they can do.' Confidence at 'rock-bottom' Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union, said confidence in the industry was 'at rock-bottom' with farmers facing 'a number of challenges.' The inheritance tax rise came as 'another bitter blow and another attack', he said. Mr Bradshaw added: 'It creates this continuing sense that the industry isn't valued and its worth to the country isn't being recognised. 'I can understand why the psychology is there that people will be taking the decisions that they may be resigned to sell off, and they are no longer able to make a living off it.' Victoria Vyvyan, president of the Country Land and Business Association, said taxes and red tape were undermining farmers' efforts to make ends meet. She said: 'This report says what ministers won't: rural businesses are being pushed to the edge. 'Farmers trying to modernise or diversify are blocked at every turn – by red tape, by National Insurance rises, by a government that talks growth while pulling out the foundations beneath it. 'Still, the countryside carries on. New businesses are opening. People are holding on. But grit isn't a strategy. What's needed now is simple: stability, clarity, and a government willing to listen – before more farms are lost and more families are forced out.' Michael Oakes, who sold his dairy business last year and now runs a beef herd in the West Midlands, said the rising demand for renewable energy was also compounding farmers' woes. He added: 'You've got some landlords taking land out of food production to put into solar.' Ms Reeves's tax change, which alongside a similar reduction in the relief for family businesses is set to raise up to £520m per year for the Exchequer, caused immediate political ructions with farmers driving tractors into central London to protest outside Parliament. MPs also heard emotional evidence from family farms about the dangers of the tax raid. Jonathan Charlesworth, a farmer in Yorkshire, said his father, John, took his own life in fear of the inheritance tax raid. Other farmers have told The Telegraph that the impending increase has opened a 'suicide window' for elderly business owners who worry they will impose a financial burden on their children and grandchildren by staying alive beyond April of next year. Any hopes the plans might be softened were dashed with the publication of the Finance Bill this week which confirmed the changes will come into force next year. A Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs spokesman said: 'Our commitment to farming and food security is steadfast and farming profits in the UK increased by £1.6bn last year. 'We are slashing costs and red tape for food producers to export to the EU, have appointed former NFU president Baroness Minette Batters to recommend reforms to boost farmers' profits, and we're ensuring farmers get a bigger share of food contracts across our schools, hospitals, and prisons.'
Times
14 minutes ago
- Times
James Cleverly's homecoming is shrewd move for Tories
A s the stepdaughter of a Yorkshire Tory MP, I was brought up on ill-attended speeches in village halls and constituency wine and cheese parties. Yet although conservatism is in my blood, I haven't even considered voting for it for a decade. The mess that David Cameron and his successors made first of the country's relationship with Europe and then of the party itself enraged me. With Kemi Badenoch's failure to find a way of countering Reform, I had come to the view that the party was on its last legs. But the return of James Cleverly to the front bench makes me wonder whether there might be life in the old dog yet. Badenoch's big decision is whether to copy Reform UK's fiscal irresponsibility and flag-waving nationalism or return to moderate, ideology-free conservatism. The political tide in America and Europe is pushing her in the former direction, as is the strongest character on her front bench, Robert Jenrick.
BBC News
44 minutes ago
- BBC News
Government to pay more for wind-generated energy
The government has increased the maximum price it will pay to companies for the electricity generated by new wind farms. It comes as ministers are trying to meet challenging pledges to bring down household bills and create an electricity grid that it is almost entirely free of fossil fuels by Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published the details ahead of the latest auction for government-backed auction opens in August and will be one of the last which can deliver projects in time to meet the government's target of Clean Power by Conservatives have described the new prices for offshore wind as "eye-watering".The government said the prices would not be what is eventually paid, as companies will put in lower bids to win contracts. A spokesperson for Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said "the auction will reveal the true price, just like it did last year, where the auction cleared at prices significantly lower".Each year, companies who want to build renewable energy projects bid for government-backed government agrees to pay them a fixed price for the electricity they produce for a set period, now up to 20 years, and up to a maximum price known as the Administrative Strike Price, or put in bids below the ASP to win project contracts and then the government sets a new guaranteed price, known as the clearing price, based on year, the maximum guaranteed price for offshore wind will be £113 per megawatt-hour, up from £102 in offshore wind, which is a newer technology, is more expensive at £271/MWh, up from £ wind has seen a smaller rise from £89/MWh to £92 while the price for solar energy has come down to £75/MWh from £85/ Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho said: "These are eye-watering prices - the highest in a decade and way above the average cost of electricity last year. And this is before the hidden costs of grid, storage and wasted wind which all end up on our energy bills"She claimed Ed Miliband was putting "Net zero zealotry above the economy or the cost of living".The government argues that switching to renewables will protect consumers from volatile gas prices and bring bills down "for good." Johnny Gowdy, from not-for-profit group Regen, which advises on transitioning to net zero, said the ASP was about "setting the starting point for the auction; with competitive bids we would expect the actual auction strike price to be much lower""There is also a trade-off between volume and price. If the bid prices are high then the government will procure less capacity. If the price is low then the government will be able to buy more capacity."He says that the cost of producing offshore wind "probably has risen over the past couple of years" but he adds "we will have to wait and see the auction outcome" to find out how auctions have resulted in a clearing price that was lower than the maximum is a risk to setting the maximum price too 2023, under the Conservatives, no offshore wind developers bid for any projects as they said they weren't viable at the price offered. The government has made changes to the system in the hope of attracting more bids to create the first time this year, offshore wind projects which don't have yet have full planning permission will be able to apply for a contract lengths have also been extended for wind and solar projects from 15 years to 20 and the Energy Secretary will be able to see developer's bids before he sets the final overall budget.A spokesperson for DESNZ said its reforms to the system would "enable a competitive auction that secures the best possible price for consumers while securing the clean energy we need to get us off the fossil fuel rollercoaster."
