Danny Kruger has defected to Reform UK, the first sitting Conservative MP to do so.
The East Wiltshire MP’s defection was unveiled at a press conference in Mayfair on Monday, where Nigel Farage said Mr Kruger would head up Reform’s efforts to prepare for Government.
Describing his move as “personally painful”, Mr Kruger condemned his former party as “over”.
He said: “We have had a year of stasis and drift and the sham unity that comes from not doing anything bold or difficult or controversial and the result is in the polls.
“And those voters aren’t coming back, and every day, more and more people are joining them in deserting the party that has failed.”
Turning to his new job, Mr Kruger said: “Our mission is not just to overthrow the current system, it is to restore the system we need.”