The 60-year-old, who represented Gravesham until he was unseated by Labour last year, accused the last Tory government of refusing to cut migration or stand up to “public sector radicals”.
Ollie Leader, Local Democracy Reporter, has more...
00:00You have defected to Reform UK. You were previously a Conservative MP for quite a significant amount of time.
00:08The big question is why?
00:10Well, I'm kind of following my former constituents. I mean, you know, the country is in a mess.
00:16Things are going to get a lot worse in the next four years.
00:18If you look at the polls right now, reform is surging in what it describes as a sort of as a rescue mission.
00:26And my former constituents seem to be understanding that and having faith that reform are the people most likely to be able to deal with these things.
00:35And I'm getting on board now precisely because I want to play my part over the next four years of getting reform credible and fit for government.
00:45That's why I'm here.
00:46I mean, if it was just about me getting Gravesend, the Gravesham seat back, I'd probably be a weasel.
00:51And I'd wait for a couple of years and then go and, you know, beg for us to say, please, can I stand for you because of where the polls are?
00:58I'm doing it now when there's no certainty that reform, you know, will win the next election at all.
01:06But, you know, I'm doing it because I think now's the right time to do it.
01:09But looking at the polling, I mean, they have a good chance, they're currently two points ahead, many of the polls, electrical calculus, YouGov say Gravesham will turn turquoise.
01:18There's a good chance that you could become MP again.
01:21There's a very nice guy who was the candidate last time, Matthew Fraser-Mode, I've spoken to him today.
01:27You know, I'm not coming here sort of assuming that that's going to be the case.
01:32That's honestly, that's not what it's about.
01:34People who know me, you know, throughout my political career, you know, part of the reason that I was never a senior minister, you know, it could be that, you know, I've always tried to be independent and not rebel against my constituents.
01:47And it's kind of it's sort of the same today, really.
01:50You know, the easier thing would be to wait.
01:52You know, lots of people, when I've discussed this with them, say, Adam, you know, it's a bit early.
01:55It's a bit of a risk. Well, if getting back to the Gravesham seat was my primary concern, I'd have waited a couple of years because I kept my options open.
02:05Now I don't have any options.
02:07You know, I'm all in to try and get the opportunity to play a small part in getting reform fit and credible for government.
02:15I know you mentioned that part of the reason you didn't leave earlier was not to let down your constituents, but you clearly weren't happy with the direction of travel and issues like immigration.
02:25immigration, on issues around taxation.
02:30How could you stand in 2024 on a policy platform for a party that you no longer properly believed in?
02:37Well, no, I think I did.
02:39I mean, it's not sort of it's not kind of either or, you know, it's like you don't you don't if you're part of a club or team, you don't necessarily agree with everything they're doing.
02:51But it's about the sort of the overall direction of travel.
02:54And I think now that the direction of travel that's most likely to be able to deal with the mess we're in and the mess, by the way, in the next four years is yet even worse under this disastrous Labour government.
03:05I think it's these people, you know, I may be proved wrong, you know, but I hope not for the sake of my former constituents, the people of Kent and the people, you know, across the country.
