The Conservative MP Lucy Allan has been suspended from the party after saying she will back Reform UK at the general election, in a further blow to Rishi Sunak and his faltering campaign.
The MP for Telford, who announced last year that she was standing down, was suspended from the Conservatives after posting a tweet saying she would support her local Reform candidate in the coming contest.
Richard Tice, the Reform UK leader, said he welcomed Allan’s support, as the Conservative MP tweeted a link to the website of Alan Adams, the party’s local candidate, to allow people to help and donate to his campaign.
The Conservative party said she has been suspended. “Lucy Allan has been suspended from the party with immediate effect,” a spokesperson said.
“The people of Telford now have the chance to vote for a dedicated and hardworking new candidate who will put Telford first. A vote for Reform is a vote for Keir Starmer.”
Allan said she had already resigned from the Conservatives to support Adams rather than Tory candidate, Hannah Campbell
Allan said: “I have resigned from the Conservative party to support Alan Adams to be Telford’s next MP. I have known Alan for many years and he is genuinely the best person for the job. I want the best for Telford and I can’t just let the Labour candidate have a walkover.”
She won Telford in 2019 with a majority of 10,941, but in 2017 the Conservatives won by just 720 - and she first won the seat in 2015 with a majority of 730.
I am supporting Alan Adams to be Telford’s next MP. If you want to help Alan or donate to his campaign, sign up on his website https://t.co/lPOjtyWSXU pic.twitter.com/KNPB6qex0P
— Lucy Allan (@lucyallan) May 27, 2024
Allan is the second Tory MP to say they would back Reform after Lee Anderson, the former deputy chair, joined Tice’s party this year. He had been suspended from the Tories for refusing to back down after saying Labour’s London mayor, Sadiq Khan, was controlled by Islamists.
Reform sources confirmed that Allan had been in touch with the party about giving them her support. Her support will be a boost for Reform, which has been polling at over 10% but suffered a setback last week when Nigel Farage said he would not stand for the party.
The former Ukip leader made his announcement on X hours before the Reform leader, Richard Tice, launched the party’s general election campaign at a press conference in London.
Farage tweeted: “I have thought long and hard as to whether I should stand in the upcoming general election. As honorary president of Reform UK, I am fully supportive of Richard Tice’s leadership and urge voters to put their trust in him and Lee Anderson [the party’s sole MP]. I will do my bit to help in the campaign, but it is not the right time for me to go further than that.”
