A donor and personal adviser to Kemi Badenoch has defected to Reform UK ahead of the Conservative leader’s speech at the Tory party conference, according to reports.
Mark Gallagher, who donated £2,000 to Ms Badenoch for her leadership campaign last year, left the Conservative Party roughly two months ago, Sky News reported, over claims she ignored his attempts to help.
He is now backing Nigel Farage’s party in a move that has sparked anger among Tories, with one source telling the broadcaster Mr Gallagher “flitted between parties” anyway.
Ms Badenoch is set to launch the Conservative Party conference on Sunday afternoon, with a pledge to use a special task force to deport 750,000 illegal immigrants from the UK.
The “Removals Force” is modelled on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, which has been heavily criticised in the past year, accused of arresting both legal migrants and American citizens.
Conservative members are gathering in Manchester for the party’s four-day conference, as Ms Badenoch is under increasing pressure to upturn the Tories’ fortunes amid dire poll ratings.
Key Points
- Badenoch donor defects to Farage’s Reform ahead of her Tory conference speech
- Tory Party conference kicks off
- Conservatives' new 'Removals Force' inspired by Trump's heavily criticised ICE
- Analysis: Badenoch does not care where she is deporting immigrants to
- Every Tory candidate in next election must back policy of leaving ECHR, Badenoch says
- New police powers unveiled after almost 500 people arrested at latest pro-Palestine protest
Former Badenoch donor backing Reform UK, according to reports
14:12
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Tara Cobham
A former donor to Kemi Badenoch’s leadership campaign is reportedly backing Reform UK.
Mark Gallagher gave Mrs Badenoch £2,000 for her leadership campaign last October and left the Tories around two months ago, Sky News reported.
A Reform UK source said: “Nigel (Farage) and Mark have been friends for a long time.
“We understand he is very disenchanted with the Conservative Party,” the source added.
A Conservative source, however, said Mr Gallagher was briefly an adviser on Mrs Badenoch’s leadership campaign and pointed to his past affiliations with other political outfits, including the Brexit Party.
The Tories have seen a slew of defections to Reform UK, with London Assembly Member for Havering and Redbridge Keith Prince jumping ship on the eve of the party’s conference.
Mr Gallagher has been contacted for comment.
Tory Party conference kicks off
13:57
,
Tara Cobham
The Conservative Party’s four-day conference has officially kicked off in Manchester.
From 2pm, a welcome will be given by conference chairman Stewart Harper, followed by party chairman Kevin Hollinrake, Scottish Conservatives leader Russell Findlay and Welsh Conservatives leader Darren Millar.
At 2.45pm, party leader Kemi Badenoch will give her welcome speech.
Home secretary denies government interference in collapse of China spying case
13:40
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Tara Cobham
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “very disappointed” at the collapse of a major Chinese spying case and denied there was any ministerial interference.
The case against Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry was dropped on September 15, sparking criticism from Downing Street and MPs from across both sides of the political aisle. Both men had denied the allegations.
The Sunday Times reported the decision came after senior Whitehall mandarins met to discuss the trial, including national security adviser Jonathan Powell and the Foreign Office’s top civil servant Sir Oliver Robbins.
In order to prove the case under the Official Secrets Act, prosecutors would have had to show the defendants were acting for an “enemy” – but Mr Powell reportedly revealed the Government’s evidence would be based on the national security strategy, which does not use that term to describe China.
The Sunday Times reported this meant Matthew Collins, the deputy national security adviser due to give evidence for the prosecution, would be unable to say Beijing was an enemy.
Ms Mahmood insisted there was no Whitehall meeting to discuss the case and no ministerial involvement, although the Sunday Times report focused on the actions of officials, rather than ministers.
The Home Secretary told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “I don’t recognise that reporting about a meeting, I’m not aware of any such meeting taking place.”
Tories would support Labour's proposal to expand policing powers over protests, Badenoch says
13:20
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Tara Cobham
The Conservatives would support Labour’s proposal to expand policing powers to deal with persistent protests, Kemi Badenoch has said.
She told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “Of course we will support them.
“But what took them so long?
“And the issue, from my perspective, is why should the public trust a Home Secretary who not that long ago was protesting herself, lay down, closed a Sainsbury’s supermarket because it was stocking Israeli goods?”
She added: “We believe in free speech, but that has to be within the bounds of the law.
“If people are using protest to intimidate, if they’re using protest to incite violence, then no, it’s not protest.”
Badenoch says economy 'will be on fire' if Reform wins next election
13:00
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Tara Cobham
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has said the economy “will be on fire” if Reform UK wins the next general election.
She told GB News: “Nigel Farage wants to spend loads and loads of money on welfare.
“You look at the plans he’s talked about, our economy will be on fire if he gets in. None of it makes sense.”
Home secretary warns of 'malign and dark forces running amok' in Britain
12:40
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Tara Cobham
The Independent’s whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
On Sunday morning, Shabana Mahmood warned of a problem with integration in the UK.
Now, in an interview with Times Radio, she has warned of a "rise not only in antisemitism but in other forms of hatred as well.
"There are clearly malign and dark forces running amok across our country.
"It's a challenge for governments of all stripes to work out how to deal with these issues without placing more pressure, and frankly more unwanted burden and responsibility, on minority communities."
Badenoch claims many pro-Palestine demonstrators ‘actually out to intimidate Jews’
12:20
,
Tara Cobham
The Independent’s whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said Sir Keir Starmer has not done enough and claimed that many people on pro-Palestine marches are "actually out to intimidate Jews".
She told Camilla Tominey on GB News: "I think the fact that they were marching on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, shows that many of the people going on these marches are actually out to intimidate Jews and I think that that's something that should be stopped.
"We have a right to protest in this country, but people are abusing those rights. Rights come with responsibilities.”
Asked if the Prime Minister had blood on his hands, she said: "The fact that there are people in the Jewish community who are saying that just goes to show how much he has let them down.
"I wouldn't use that language, but I would say that he has not done anything near enough to make Jews feel safe in this country."
Every Tory candidate in next election must back policy of leaving ECHR, Badenoch says
12:00
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Tara Cobham
Every Conservative candidate in the next election must back the policy of leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has said.
Mrs Badenoch told Camilla Tominey on GB News: “I was very clear at the shadow cabinet – where we agreed completely, it was unanimous – that we cannot have a party where people do not abide by manifesto commitments.
“If you do not agree with leaving the ECHR, then you should not and cannot stand as a Conservative candidate.”
Asked whether she will “kick people out” if they rebel on this issue, she said: “They can be in the party, but they cannot stand as MPs.
“We have lots of members who have lots of views, we don’t remove people for having slightly different views on policy.
“But if you want to be a Member of Parliament as a Conservative, then you need to understand that leaving the ECHR is a manifesto commitment.”
Badenoch claims Britain is 'spending all of our money' on dealing with immigration
11:40
,
Tara Cobham
Britain is “spending all of our money” on dealing with immigration, rather than the NHS or other public services, Kemi Badenoch has said.
The Conservative leader told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “Right now, we have people, you know, in social housing, we’re spending loads of money, not just on hotels, but asylum centres, all of the policing that goes around it, that Epping protest after that horrific sexual assault that cost well over £1 million.
“We are spending all of our money on dealing with migration issues instead of the NHS, instead of education, instead of, you know, our health, our police force.”
Earlier, she had said failing to deport people was “basically inviting every single person across the world to our shores, because we don’t know where they would go”.
“This is a fatalistic and defeatist attitude, and I will not have that.”
Badenoch insists Tories' approach will 'pay off eventually' despite dire poll ratings
11:20
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Tara Cobham
Kemi Badenoch has described her party’s recent performance as a “small political price” for an approach that would “pay off eventually”.
The Conservative leader told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “Nothing good comes quickly or fast.
“It will pay off. I’m an engineer and the way I was taught to do things is you have a plan, you work it through.
“It’s not about being the first to announce a policy. It’s about having the best policy. That is what I’m offering.
“And, yes, there may have been a small political price to pay in the polls. It will pay off eventually.”
Badenoch declines to say whether she'd resign if her party’s performance didn't improve
11:00
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Tara Cobham
Kemi Badenoch has declined to say whether she would resign if her party’s performance did not improve.
Asked whether she would quit if the Conservative Party’s fortunes did not get better, Mrs Badenoch told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “The fact is I was elected to do exactly what I’m doing now and I think the Conservative members are going to keep their faith in me.”
Greenpeace condemn new police protest powers as 'dangerous step towards authoritarianism'
10:40
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Tara Cobham
Greenpeace UK has condemned the home secretary’s plans to grant officers more powers to police protests as a “dangerous step towards authoritarianism”.
The charity’s co-executive director Will McCallum said: “Protest works because it is repetitive. If police had told the Suffragettes or civil rights activists ‘you’ve made your point’, they would never have won the victories we all enjoy today.
“The home secretary must immediately withdraw this dangerous step towards authoritarianism. Any review of protest laws must result in greater freedom for people to make their voices heard, not less.
“We are repeatedly told that the right to protest is ‘a cornerstone of our democracy’ and yet in the last few years it has been corroded to the point of collapse. Police are already swimming in powers to shut down protests and lock activists away for years. The steady rise in protesters being arrested and served long prison sentences is proof of that.”
Badenoch 'wouldn't be surprised' if Trump 'loved' her migration plan
10:20
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Tara Cobham
Kemi Badenoch has said she “wouldn’t be surprised” if US President Donald Trump “loved” her migration plan.
But, speaking to the Telegraph, she said she was more interested in the views of people in the UK.
Analysis: Kemi Badenoch insists her strategy ‘will pay off’ but her own MPs worry she is running out of time
10:05
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Tara Cobham
The Independent’s whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
This is a tough party conference for Ms Badenoch this weekend.
Her own MPs increasingly think her first conference as leader could also be her last.
She told the BBC that, despite trailing Reform in the polls, her strategy “will pay off - nothing good comes quickly”.
She conceded there had been a “small political price to pay” in the opinion polls, but insisted that her plan would turn things around and work.
But she needs to convince her own MPs of that in Manchester over the next few days.
Analysis: Badenoch does not care where she is deporting immigrants to
09:54
,
Tara Cobham
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:
The Tory leader is having a fairly fiery exchange with Laura Kuenssberg on the BBC over her plans to leave the ECHR and deport around 150,000 people a year.
Ms Kuenssberg not unreasonably asks: “Where would they go?”
Ms Badenoch replied, repeatedly: “It doesn’t matter where they go, the point is that they should not be here.”
This back and forth goes on but shows a much harder rightwing line in the Tory party from when they were in government.
Basically, she wants a UK version of Trump’s notorious ICE agents in the US.
Clearly the rise of Reform has ensured that the Tories have abandoned more nuanced approaches on issues like stronger borders.
Kemi Badenoch asks ‘what took them so long?’ on protests crackdown
09:42
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Tara Cobham
The Independent’s whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has criticised the government over the planned crackdown on repeat protests, asking: “What took them so long?”
She insisted that her party believes in free speech, but added “it has to be within the bounds of the law”.
Home secretary denies she considered resigning over Gaza
09:28
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Tara Cobham
The Independent’s whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
The home secretary has denied that she considered resigning over Gaza.
Initially, Shabana Mahmood said: “I don’t think my personal decisions here are what matter.”
But pushed on the BBC on whether she considered quitting over Labour’s position on Gaza, she said: “No.”
She also said she accepted collective responsibility and was a “proud part” of the government.
Britain’s Jewish community ‘justified’ in asking more from government, home secretary says
09:24
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Tara Cobham
The Independent’s whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Shabana Mahmood did not rule out an inquiry into antisemitism this morning.
She told the BBC that the Jewish community “are justified in asking for more from their government “ when they think they are their children are going to have to love “smaller” Jewish lives.
She said she would consider the best way to respond to the “rising tide” of antisemitism.
Home secretary says she is working to close a 'gap in the law' on protests
09:16
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Tara Cobham
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was working to close a “gap in the law” on protests.
She told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “The strengthening of the legislation that I’m going to bring about is based on the ability of the police to place conditions and restrictions on protests.
“And what I will be making explicit is that cumulative disruption – that is to say, the frequency of particular protests in particular places – is, in and of itself, a reason for the police to be able to restrict and place conditions.
“That is to say, they can move them to a different place, they can restrict the time that those protests can occur on, so that will unlock all of the broader measures that the police can already do on protests.
“It’s been clear to me in conversations in the last couple of days that there is a gap in the law and there is an inconsistency of practice, so I’ll be taking measures immediately to put that right.
“And I will be reviewing our wider protest legislation as well to make sure the arrangements we have can meet the scale of the challenge that we face, which is protecting the right to protest, but ensuring that our communities can go about their daily business without feeling intimidated and also that public order can be maintained.”
Home secretary warns Britain has a ‘problem’ with integration
09:10
,
Tara Cobham
The Independent’s whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
The home secretary has warned Britain has a “problem” with integration.
Shabana Mahmood told Sky News: “There is a question for us to ask ourselves on integration.
“When somebody who has grown up with all of the advantages of this society, all of the rights, the freedoms… that go alongside that, why do people do these acts?”
She said it is the government’s job “to think long and hard about what is happening”.
“I do consider it my responsibility to draw wider lessons on integration… I do recognise that there is a problem here. It is one for us as a government to think deeply about.”
Home secretary urges society to 'think carefully' about tackling rising antisemitism
09:05
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Tara Cobham
The home secretary has urged society to “think carefully about what we do to stem the rising tide of antisemitism”.
Speaking on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Shabana Mahmood told Sky News: “That is a challenge to all of us across society and in government to think carefully about what we do to stem the rising tide of antisemitism and give confidence to the Jewish community that Jewish life will continue to flourish in the UK.”
Conservatives' new 'Removals Force' inspired by Trump's heavily criticised ICE
09:01
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Tara Cobham
The Conservatives’ new "Removals Force" takes inspiration from Trump's ICE.
But ICE has also been heavily criticised in the past year for arresting both legal migrants and US citizens. It has also been accused of targeting people based on their race.
Amnesty condemns Palestine Action arrests as 'in breach of UK's human rights obligations'
08:54
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Tara Cobham
Amnesty has condemned the Palestine Action arrests as “in breach of the UK's international human rights obligations”.
Kerry Moscogiuri, Amnesty International UK’s Director of Campaigns and Communications, said: “It will never stop being upsetting and shocking to witness older people, people with disabilities, doctors in scrubs, young people and relatives of holocaust survivors being hauled from the streets into police vans.
“Police chiefs have discretion as to how they choose to police demonstrations. Arresting hundreds of people for peacefully sitting down and holding these signs is not the job of police. These arrests are in breach of the UK's international human rights obligations and should not be happening.
“The UK government should not be criminalising and demonising these peaceful demonstrators to distract from their failure to take meaningful action to end Israel’s genocide.”
New police powers unveiled after almost 500 people arrested at latest pro-Palestine protest
08:49
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Tara Cobham
The home secretary has unveiled measures giving police more protest powers following frequent pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including an event in London on Saturday which saw almost 500 arrests.
Saturday’s event in London took place despite calls for restraint following the synagogue attack in Manchester on Thursday.
Almost 500 people were arrested, including 488 arrests for supporting banned terror organisation Palestine Action.
Police to be given greater powers to restrict protests
08:46
,
Tara Cobham
Police are to be given greater powers to restrict protests by allowing them to consider the “cumulative impact” of repeated demonstrations.
The measures follow frequent pro-Palestinian demonstrations including an event in London on Saturday which saw almost 500 arrests.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said repeated large-scale protests had caused “considerable fear” for the Jewish community.
The Government will amend Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 to explicitly allow the police to take account of the cumulative impact of frequent protests on local areas in order to impose conditions on public processions and assemblies.
The Home Secretary will also review existing legislation to ensure powers are sufficient and are being applied consistently by police forces – this will include powers to ban protests outright.
Badenoch under pressure to convince party members she can lead them into next election
08:22
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Rebecca Whittaker
Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch has faced pressure to convince members of her party that she can lead them into the next election.
“Hold your nerve. Hold your nerve,” Mrs Badenoch said in an interview with the Telegraph. “We are the only party that can deliver a stronger economy and stronger borders. If we don’t hold our nerve, we are giving our country up. That is not right.”
“There will be tangible improvement. But it never happens overnight,” she added.
Immigration set to be one of key themes of Conservative Party conference
08:20
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Rebecca Whittaker
Immigration is set to be one of the key themes of the Conservative Party conference.
It comes as 34,401 people have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year, according to PA news agency analysis of Home Office figures, putting 2025 on course to break the record for most arrivals in a single year.
Kemi Badenoch said: “We must tackle the scourge of illegal immigration into Britain and secure our borders. That is why the Conservatives are setting out a serious and comprehensive new plan to end this crisis.”
Tory party conference kicks off today
08:19
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Tara Cobham
The Tory party conference kicks off today.
From 2pm, a welcome will be given by conference chairman Stewart Harper, followed by party chairman Kevin Hollinrake, Scottish Conservatives leader Russell Findlay and Welsh Conservatives leader Darren Millar.
Party leader Kemi Badenoch will welcome attendees at 2.45pm.
Just 11% of voters believe Tories are ready for government, YouGov poll finds
08:16
,
Rebecca Whittaker
A YouGov poll on the eve of the Tory conference showed just 11 per cent of voters believe the party is ready for government.
Meanwhile, just one in five voters believes Kemi Badenoch has done well as Tory leader, according to the survey, while nearly half (45 per cent) think she has done badly.
A seat-level forecast by the pollster found that, were a general election held today, the party would fall from having 119 MPs to just 45, while Reform would be the largest party on 311.
