Tim Montgomerie leaves Reform Party after telling the he had resigned from Reform UK. He said the decision followed a conversation on Tuesday with Lee Anderson after his suspension last month for criticising senior figures.
Montgomerie, who defected in 2024 after a long career as a Conservative Party adviser and commentator and ran ConservativeHome, said he had been trying to make the party “better and stronger” through his criticism. He also said he felt “battered” by the row and added, “When you get older there's less fight in you.”
Lee Anderson and Tuesday
Montgomerie said Anderson wanted him back in the party “meekly,” but he was not willing to do that. He told the that he still wanted to support Reform UK and had no intention of re-joining the Conservative Party.
He also urged Nigel Farage to “get a grip” and said, “Nigel needs to get a grip, he needs to lead the party.” Montgomerie said Farage should bring people like Zia Yusuf under control, and added that Farage had been “brilliant at” policing the right and stopping Tommy Robinson joining.
Zia Yusuf and Reform UK
Montgomerie said he wanted Reform UK to be “more like Reform and less like the AfD [Germany's right-wing Alternative for Deutschland].” He said he believed in the party’s policies and membership, but argued that his public criticism was meant to improve it rather than weaken it.
He said Reform was “at a junction” and warned of “a battle of attrition” with the Conservative Party. The open question now is whether Reform UK and Nigel Farage answer that split by tightening discipline or by letting the dispute fade after Montgomerie’s resignation.
