‘The Conservative party is over.’ Until recently, such talk could be dismissed in Westminster as typical Nigel Farage hyperbole. But the decision of Danny Kruger to defect to Reform UK this week has left some Tories wondering if their party’s condition is fatal. Kruger – MP for East Wiltshire since 2019 – wrote speeches for David Cameron, corralled troops for Boris Johnson and ran Robert Jenrick’s leadership campaign last year. Until this week, he was seen as one of the Tory party’s most prominent thinkers. He is the biggest defection to Reform yet.

When we meet in his new party’s headquarters, Kruger is reflecting on the brutal business of politics. Outside, Union Jacks flutter at half-mast for the funeral of the Duchess of Kent. ‘On a personal level, it hasn’t been particularly enjoyabl

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