Tory Mayoral Candidate For Manchester Dan Barker Defects To Reform UK

Dan Barker, who was the Conservative mayoral candidate for Manchester, has defected to Reform UK. (Screengrab via Bill Curtis/YouTube)

Conservative candidate for Manchester mayor Dan Barker defected to Reform UK Thursday, less than two months before local elections.

Reform UK announced that Barker had joined its ranks in a post on X.

The party congratulated Barker, who served as the chair for Wythenshawe and Sale East Conservatives, on “becoming part of the future” as the Tories haemorrhage yet another MP In a move that continues to signal the shake-up in the electoral landscape.

The switch follows the notable defection just last week of former Tory deputy chair and GB host Lee Anderson, who moved to become Reform UK’s first sitting MP after his expulsion from the Conservative Party. Reform UK was rebranded from the the Brexit Party, founded by GB News host Nigel Farage, who remains the party’s honourary president, and is led by Richard Tice, also a GB News presenter.

Barker will maintain his candidacy for Manchester mayor, facing up against Labour’s Andy Burnham who prepares to defend his position as current mayor of the city.