‘Under Badenoch The Conservative Party Has Changed And Become Narrower’ Former Romford Conservative Quits To Join Reform.

Bailey Nash-Gardner will not be rejoining the Conservative party but has chosen to join Reform UK, saying he can no longer remain in a party that has become “narrower, more controlled and increasingly uncomfortable with principled disagreement.”

Mr Nash-Gardner, who had been keen to stand as a Conservative councillor in Romford, said his decision was taken “with genuine regret” following his automatic suspension last week. The move comes just days after Romford’s Member of Parliament, Andrew Rosindell, defected to Reform UK after forty years as a Conservative. In a detailed statement explaining his decision, Mr Nash-Gardner said: “Politics should never require people to abandon their principles, their independence or their livelihoods in order to belong,” adding that he no longer believes the Conservative Party is “willing or will be able to deliver” the change residents need.

Mr Nash-Gardner told the Havering Daily:

“For as long as I have been interested in politics, which is just short of a decade, I considered myself a Conservative not just by membership, but by instinct. I believed the party was confident enough to hold differing views at times, strong enough to tolerate occasional internal disagreement but mature enough to understand that loyalty and honesty are not opposing virtues.

It is with genuine regret that I have come to the conclusion that I cannot rejoin the Conservative Party, following my ‘automatic’ suspension last Monday.

Under the leadership of Kemi Badenoch, something fundamental has changed. Slowly but unmistakably, the party seems to have become narrower, more controlled and increasingly uncomfortable with principled disagreement particularly when that disagreement comes from those who have given time and effort to the cause.

Over the past year, I have dedicated myself to the Conservative cause locally here in Romford. Like many others, I volunteered my time freely, evenings, weekends, long days on the streets, helping to organise and campaign because I believed rebuilding locally mattered. I believed that loyalty meant showing up, doing the work and being honest when things were not going well.

Recent events have forced a period of reflection.

I have watched how dedicated Conservatives including senior MPs, local officers, activists and volunteers have been treated after making principled decisions or expressing legitimate concerns about the party’s direction. Figures such as Robert Jenrick, who spoke openly about the need for change after years in government, was treated appallingly by the national party. Even one of our local MPs, Andrew Rosindell, who has served Romford loyally for decades has been treated as if the past 45 years of service to the party locally never happened.

The common thread in all of this is not misconduct or disloyalty. It is honesty.

What has been most troubling is not disagreement itself but how it is now handled.

Conversations are replaced by conditions. Engagement is replaced by instruction. Support is measured not by hard work in the community but by public displays of alignment and silence on social media.

This culture has now reached local campaigns.

In Romford, the direction of travel is clear. Local autonomy has been taken away. Campaigns that should be shaped by local knowledge and local priorities are instead going to be controlled by Conservative Central Office. The result is caution, uniformity and what will be an unwillingness to pursue the kind of bold, radical change that residents know is needed. That is not how renewal happens.

Healthy political parties trust their grassroots. They allow space for disagreement. They understand that difficult truths must be faced, not managed away. When parties begin to demand not just support but submission, professionally, personally and publicly — they lose something essential.

My own experience brought this into sharp focus. After a period of uncertainty, I was told that I could return to the party — but only if I met a set of conditions that went far beyond conduct or integrity. They required professional sacrifice, public distancing, and visible displays of loyalty.

That was the moment clarity arrived.

Politics should never require people to abandon their principles, their independence or their livelihoods in order to belong and it is for those reasons and with an incredible sense of sadness rather than anger, I have decided that I will not be rejoining the Conservative Party, despite being given a route to.

Instead, ahead of the upcoming local elections, I will be joining Reform UK and support their local campaign and team. I do so not out of hostility, but out of conviction. Reform UK is only just getting started and it is the only movement willing to engage in honest debate and prepared to pursue the radical changes needed for Romford, Havering and the country, changes I no longer believe the Conservative Party is willing or will be able to deliver.

This decision has not been taken lightly. Leaving behind a party you have invested time and an enormous amount of energy in is painful. There is real sorrow in recognising that a political home you once cherished no longer feels open to those who question and care deeply about its future.

But politics should be about persuasion, not pressure. About conviction, not compliance. About building coalitions for change, not narrowing them in the name of control.

I still believe heavily in grassroots politics, and I still believe that Romford deserve a council brave enough to do what is necessary. It is with regret that i close one chapter and with resolve that i begin another.”

Stay up to date with all of our latest updates and content by following us on our social media accounts!

We have created community pages where we will share our up-to-date stories happening in the area. Add the area closest to where you live.