Former Conservative MP Adam Holloway has made a “massive political misjudgement” in defecting to Reform UK, according to a former parliamentary colleague.
Ex-Gravesham member Mr Holloway announced he was leaving the Conservatives in a series of media interviews on Wednesday (July 30).
Damian Green, who lost his Ashford seat at the general election to Labour in July last year, said he was “sad” to hear of his decision to join Nigel Farage’s outfit.
The former First Secretary of State under Prime Minister Theresa May said: “Adam is a really, really good bloke and a decent human being but he has hopelessly misjudged the situation .
“There are those I would have happily said goodbye to but not Adam. He was a brilliant constituency MP and there are many, many tales of him going above and beyond for his constituents. But his political judgement is hopelessly out on this.”
As his parting shot, Mr Holloway voiced support for the party leader Kemi Badenoch, whom he described as a “fighter”, but said she was surrounded by some who would be Liberal Democrats “if the Lib Dems were winning”.
Mr Holloway said a chance to fight for his old seat, currently held by Labour’s Dr Lauren Sullivan with a majority of under 3,000, is “in my mind”.
He told the Kent Politics Podcast: “Obviously, I’m not an idiot. I look at the polls and my old seat is more likely to be won by Reform – but that’s not why I am doing it.
“Reform already has had a candidate there [Matthew Fraser Moat] and I have no idea whether he wants to [stand] again.
“If it was about that, I would probably wait two years and see the way the wind was blowing but I’m not doing that, I’m doing it now because there is a job to do over the next four years to build up Reform, get policies and a plan to do stuff with power.”
He said that he had considered leaving the Tories before his defeat in 2024 and the May 1 Kent County Council elections, which Reform UK won by a landslide.
The former Grenadier Guards officer and award-winning documentary maker said: “I think the country needs a rescue mission and I think that Reform is serious about that.”
Mr Holloway said Sir Keir Starmer’s government is “truly shocking” and “over the next four years is going to do still more damage, particularly economically and I believe that Reform are the only people who are really serious about trying to address the problems. They’re not perfect but they know what needs to happen.”
On the streets of Gravesend today (July 31), there was a mixed reaction from Mr Holloway’s former constituents.
Elliot Reed, a third-generation Jamaican, was not surprised Mr Holloway has joined Reform UK .
He said: “I don’t think that Reform can be taken seriously by people who are able to think critically. You can see these people coming from a mile off.
“You can rest assured they won’t be getting my vote.”
Gravesend resident Linda Baldwin said: “Reform UK are doing quite well at the moment and he [Mr Holloway] is well-known around Gravesend. He has helped and done a lot of things for a lot of people here.”
Former Tory Rochester and Strood Conservative MP Kelly Tolhurst said: “I just feel sad that Adam felt the need to leave the party.”
Lord Craig Mackinlay told the BBC his former colleague was a “talent” and felt “upset” he would not be contesting the next election as a Conservative.
He said: “We’ve got a lot of work to do to make sure we’ve got a Conservative party ready to win elections and form the next government.”
Mr Holloway is not the first former Conservative MP to have joined Reform since the last election.
They include former party chair Sir Jake Berry, former Wales secretary David Jones and Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who won the Greater Lincolnshire mayoralty for the party in May.
