A former Conservative cabinet minister has announced he has left the party to join Reform UK.
Jones, who was the MP for Clwyd West from 2005 until standing down in 2024, said he had quit the Tories after “more than 50 years of continuous membership”.
Jones served as secretary of state for Wales under David Cameron between 2012 and 2014, and later as a minister in the Department for Exiting the EU under Theresa May (2016-2017).
Considered on the right of the Conservative Party, he also served as deputy chairman of the European Research Group (ERG) of eurosceptic Tory MPs from 2019 to 2024.
Jones, 72, joined the Conservative Party in 1970.
He told GB News in a statement: “Today, Reform UK is the party that best represents my views — and, I believe, those of many others who have become disillusioned with the two old major parties.
“Across the country, people are rightly concerned about the rising cost of living, the escalating crisis of illegal immigration, and the steady erosion of our national sovereignty.
“Neither the government nor the official opposition is addressing these issues with the urgency or resolve they demand — indeed, the government is actively surrendering our sovereignty at an alarming rate.
“Only Reform UK is demonstrating the determination needed to tackle the country’s many problems and to improve the lives of people across Britain.”
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He added: “I left the Conservative Party in January, bringing to an end more than 50 years of continuous membership. It was, naturally, a very difficult decision for me.
“As a matter of courtesy, 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.
“I joined the Conservatives all those years ago because I believed it was the party that best reflected my values and beliefs. Regrettably, that is no longer the case.”
Jones also clarified that he was not joining Reform UK with any intention to stand for elected office again.
He said: “I have joined Reform UK as a private individual and have no intention of seeking elected office. But I will give the party my full support in the elections ahead.”
Jones’ defection comes after that of Anne Marie Morris, the former Conservative MP for Newton Abbott, last week. It was announced that Marie Morris will lead Reform’s social care policy.
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, like Jones a former Conservative cabinet minister, described his defection as “a real coup” for Reform leader Nigel Farage.
He told GB News: “I think he is the biggest figure that Reform has got to defect so far, as you say, a former secretary of state, somebody who was very popular in the House of Commons, sensible, decent man, reasonable views, he’s not in any sense a headbanger.”
Josh Self is editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here and X here.
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