Who is Danny Kruger? East Wiltshire Conservative MP becomes latest Tory to defect to Reform - is his mother Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith?

The Devizes MP has been made head of Reform's new unit preparing the party for government, Nigel Farage announced on stage at a news conference. Announcing his defection, Mr Kruger said: "The Conservative Party is over, over as a national party, over as the principal opposition to the left.

"But I am not despondent because conservatism is not over. It's never been needed more. And actually, it's never been more vibrant. Because the failure of the Conservative Party has created space for an alternative. The flame is passing from one torch to another."

He told Sky News political correspondent Liz Bates: "I don't think the Conservative Party is dead. It's just over as the official opposition." Mr Kruger, who is TV chef Prue Leith's son, said he has been a Conservative activist and MP for more than 20 years, but he does not believe the "divided, discredited Conservative Party" can unite to win power and "deliver the change that is needed".

He revealed he started to think about defecting when Lee Anderson, a Tory MP who became an independent, moved to Reform in June 2024. Mr Kruger said it was "fair enough" to be questioned about how he, as an Eton and Oxford graduate, can understand the British people but pointed to the charity he founded working in prisons to stop re-offending.

Who is Danny Kruger?

Kruger has been an MP since December 2019. Initially elected for Devizes; after boundary changes he represents East Wiltshire.

He was previously Political Secretary to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson from July 2019 until the general election. He was also Shadow Minister for Defence, appointed 19 July 2024, under Rishi Sunak’s shadow frontbench.

He was the CEO and founder of Only Connect - a rehabilitation, criminal justice charity. He founded it in 2006 and led for about a decade. His mother, Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith, has spoken about how she is frequently attacked on social media for her son’s views.

Mr Kruger has been outspoken about his views on subjects including assisted death, women’s right to bodily autonomy and the role of marriage in society. At a 2023 National Conservatism conference, he stated that marriage between men and women was “the only basis for a safe and successful society”.