Former Tory minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns to run as Lincolnshire mayor after joining Reform UK

Andrea Jenkyns joins Reform UK
Dame Andrea Jenkyns appeared alongside Nigel Farage to announce her decision. Credit: PA

Former Tory minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns has joined Reform UK.

Dame Andrea, who served under Liz Truss during her short-lived premiership, appeared on stage with party leader Nigel Farage at an event in London on Thursday.

She is the 100,000th member of Reform UK, Mr Farage announced, and will run to be the party’s candidate for the newly-created role of mayor of Lincolnshire on 1 May next year.

Dame Andrea, an ardent supporter of former Tory leader Boris Johnson and a fierce critic of Rishi Sunak, said she was “politically aligned” with Reform UK.

Asked how long she had been thinking about defecting, she said she has “always respected” Nigel Farage and noted her work with Richard Tice during Brexit.

“We are politically aligned," she said. "And how long have I been thinking about it? Well, I mean, I was tempted before the general election, but I am a loyal person to a party.

“I might not be loyal to prime ministers, as we’ve seen in the past, but I’m loyal to parties, and I believed, as I said, in going down with that ship fighting.

“I was elected as a Conservative, and I got knocked out as a Conservative, but I feel, unfortunately, the party has become tired.”

Dame Andrea was elected as the MP for Morley and Outwood in 2015, famously ousting Labour's Ed Balls.

The election leaflet made no mention of Rishi Sunak. Credit: Andrea Jenkyns/X

She drew attention during her failed bid for re-election as Conservative MP for Leeds South West and Morley this year, when she distributed a campaign leaflet with an image of her and Mr Farage.

There was no mention on the leaflet of the then Prime Minister Mr Sunak.

She had previously attracted criticism for an apparently offensive gesture aimed at crowds gathered outside Downing Street before Boris Johnson's resignation speech in July 2022.

Dame Andrea told Thursday's press conference she was "joining the party of the brave", claiming: "Our once great country is at a crisis point."

She said leaving the Conservative Party was "not an easy decision", but the "ship is sinking, and perhaps sadly, beyond salvage".

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.