Ex-Tory party chairman who defected to Reform 'is not a candidate for the Senedd'

Martin Shipton

Speculation at Westminster that a former chairman of the Conservative Party who this month defected to Reform UK might stand in next year’s Senedd election has been denied.

Sir Jake Berry, who was the Tory MP for Rossendale and Darwen in Lancashire from 2010 until he lost his seat to Labour at last year’s general election, has a holiday home on Anglesey.

A Westminster political source told Nation.Cymru that there was talk of Sir Jake standing for Reform in the new super-constituency of Bangor Conwy Mon. It had also been mentioned that he could become the leader of the Senedd’s Reform group of MSs and therefore its potential candidate for First Minister.

A number of polls have suggested that Reform could become the biggest party in the expanded 96-member Senedd following the May 2026 election, although it is thought unlikely that Reform would win enough seats for it to be able to form a government either on its own or in a coalition with the Conservatives.

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Shocking

Nevertheless, the prospect of a former Tory UK government minister with only a tenuous connection to Wales having a substantial political role at the Senedd is viewed as shocking.

One political source told us: “It would be incredibly insulting to Wales to put up as a candidate someone whose only interest in the country is having a holiday home here. He has never expressed any interest in Welsh politics and knows nothing about it.

“It would, however, provide a well-paid job for someone who is currently missing out on their old MP’s salary.”

During his time as an MP, Sir Jake held a number of ministerial posts including Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth.

In September 2022, following the Conservative Party leadership election, the new Prime Minister Liz Truss appointed him to her government. He joined the Cabinet as Minister without Portfolio, and was also appointed to the role of Chairman of the Conservative Party.

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'Clumsy'

Speaking on Sky News in October 2022 about the approach the Truss government was taking to enable households to afford their utility bills, Berry said people could either cut their consumption or get a higher-paid job. He later apologised, describing his remarks as "clumsy".

When Liz Truss was ousted from office and replaced as Prime Minister by Rishi Sunak, Mr Berry returned to the back benches. He was given a knighthood to soften the blow.

Announcing his defection to Reform UK in July 2025, Sir Jake wrote an article for the Sun in which he stated: "Old Westminster politics has failed. But there's a better way."

He said he was backing Reform "because I've always believed that change comes with challenging the old order. In shaking up the system when it isn't working.”

We asked Reform UK Wales whether there was truth in the speculation that he would stand for the party in next year’s Senedd election and potentially be leader of its Senedd group. A Reform spokesperson told us: “Sir Jake Berry is not a candidate for the 2026 Senedd election. There are no plans for him to stand in Wales or to lead Reform UK in the Senedd.

“Reform UK will have candidates contesting every seat in Wales.”

Lockdown

During the pandemic in 2020, questions were asked about Mr Berry’s presence on Anglesey with his wife and two young children. Some considered it strange that an MP who represented a constituency in Lancashire should be spending lockdown in north Wales.

Virginia Crosbie, the then Tory MP for Ynys Mon, posted a message on social media after receiving a number of messages from constituents who believed Mr Berry may have broken Welsh Government regulations by travelling to the island.

Ms Crosbie explained that Mr Berry’s wife had been hospitalised with Covid symptoms while staying in the family’s holiday home on Anglesey.

A statement issued by the Conservative Party at the time insisted that the Berrys had complied with lockdown requirements by self-isolating.