DANNY KRUGER became the first sitting Conservative MP to defect to Reform UK today.

The shadow frontbencher and East Wiltshire MP did not tell Tory leader Kemi Badenoch beforehand and claimed that it was now “too late” to save the party even under a new leader.

His defection was unveiled at a press conference, where Reform leader Nigel Farage said Mr Kruger would head up Reform’s efforts to prepare for government.

Rowing back on previous comments in which he had said Reform would spend money “like drunken sailors,” Mr Kruger claimed that he had been convinced by Mr Farage’s pledge to reform the welfare system at the party’s annual conference.

An MP since 2019, Mr Kruger was previously chief speechwriter to David Cameron, writing the then-opposition leader’s “hug a hoodie” speech in 2006.

Later, he was Boris Johnson’s political secretary during the final stages of Westminster’s Brexit battles in 2019.

Responding to Mr Kruger’s defection, Mrs Badenoch insisted she was “not going to get blown off course by these sorts of incidents” but suggested further defections could follow “while a party is changing.”

A Labour spokesperson said Mr Kruger’s defection “ties Nigel Farage more closely” to the Conservatives’ “record of failure.”

“Nigel Farage can recruit as many failed Tories as he likes — it won’t change the fact that he has no plan for Britain,” the party said.

“The Tories crashed our economy and left public services crumbling. Britain deserves better than Reform’s Tory tribute act that would leave working people paying a very high price.

“Only this Labour government is driving forwards delivery to make working people better off and give our country the renewal it needs.”