Another significant defection from the Tories...
Leicestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Rupert Matthews has defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK. Matthews was first elected as the PCC for the county in 2021 and was re-elected in 2024.
Prior to this, Matthews was an MEP for the East Midlands from June 2017 until July 2019.
Through his defection, Matthews has become the first ever Reform PCC.
Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage made the announcement at a press conference today (August 4). The conference saw Farage introduce a series of people associated with the criminal justice system who have joined Reform and are backing its campaigns on crime.
Matthews’ defection is part of a string of people who have jumped ship from the Tories to Reform.
This includes the former Tory MPs Anne Marie Morris, Jake Berry and Andrea Jenkyns.
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
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