A third former Tory MP has defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
Marco Longhi said he had left because the “party of Churchill and Thatcher” had been “captured by a Left-wing influence”.
He follows Dame Andrea Jenkyns and Aidan Burley as new members of the party.
It comes just days after Reform claimed their membership had exceeded that of the Conservatives under Kemi Badenoch.
Mr Longhi is set to be unveiled as the party’s newest member at a regional conference in Leicester on Friday night.
He said: “As a long-standing member of the Conservative Party, I have always remained loyal to my principles and values, but above all, my dedication to you – the people – has always driven my political career.
“I stand before you as a patriot, reaffirming that I am now truly at home with Reform UK. My loyalty to party leaders started to overshadow my loyalty to you, the people.
“I had to put a stop to this. This decision is about restoring our national identity and prioritising the needs of our citizens over political correctness and elitist agendas.”
He added: “The Conservative Party I once identified with – the party of Churchill and Thatcher – has transformed into something unrecognisable, captured by a Left-wing influence that masquerades as conservatism at election time while prioritising the wishes of an elite few when in power.
“In recent years, it has repeatedly betrayed your trust and Labour have never earned that trust in the first place.
“I refuse to be part of this ‘uniparty drift’ towards an ever more Left-wing agenda.
“If I am fortunate enough to represent people again, I will not shy away from the hard truths and necessary actions.
“My commitment to the people was evident when I represented Dudley before and it will remain the same if re-elected.
“I have joined the People’s Army, and together, we can make a difference. Let’s seize this opportunity for change. Thank you.”
Mr Longhi, the son of an Italian airline pilot, served as Tory MP for Dudley North between 2019 and 2024.
In 2022, he backed Mrs Badenoch’s bid to be Conservative leader, but when she was knocked out of the running, he transferred his support to Liz Truss.
After her resignation, he backed Boris Johnson’s brief bid to return to No 10.
Mr Longhi then went on to lose his seat in last July’s election.
In November, Dame Andrea joined Reform and said she will stand as the party’s candidate to be mayor of Greater Lincolnshire in May.
She said she had “fought to the bitter end” but the Conservative Party was now “beyond salvage”.
She had been a Tory MP from 2015, but lost her seat in July.
Mr Burley was MP from 2010 to 2015 but was criticised for joining a stag party in France where the groom wore a fancy dress Nazi uniform.
