Following her high-profile defection to Reform UK, Nadine Dorries has once again become a central figure in Britain’s political conversation. But who exactly is she?
Elected originally in May 2001 as the Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire, Dorries held her seat for over two decades, becoming known as one of the most outspoken and controversial figures on the Conservative benches. She resigned her seat in 2023 after a prolonged row with Rishi Sunak’s government, triggering a by-election that ended decades of Conservative dominance in the constituency and made her an unpopular figure among some of her former colleagues – perhaps a factor in her decision to join Reform.
Dorries’ (who once called ex-Tory PM David Cameron and his Chancellor George Osborne “two arrogant posh boys”) background is far from conventional for Westminster. Born in Liverpool, she worked as a nurse and later set up her own childcare business before entering politics. She has also had a successful career as an author, publishing a series of best-selling novels which boosted her public profile outside of politics. She has also written two “non-fiction” accounts of recent Conservative Party history.
Her parliamentary career was colourful, and Dorries was often seen as a rebel within Conservative ranks, frequently clashing with party leadership due to her loyalty to Boris Johnson. Under Johnson, however, she reached her political peak, serving as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 2021 to 2022, in which role she was one of the principal progenitors of the Online Safety Act – a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed in commentary following her defection to Reform UK, who have been the loudest party in criticising the Act since it came into force over the summer.
Ultimately, Nadine Dorries is most known for being one of Boris Johnson’s most loyal defenders during the turbulence of his premiership. As a reward for this, she was nominated for a peerage by Johnson in his Resignation Honours list. Rishi Sunak’s decision to veto her ennoblement then was a catalyst for her choice to resign from Parliament.
Her defection to Reform is both symbolically and politically significant. Most importantly, it offers strong indication that her political soulmate, Boris Johnson, doesn’t intend relaunch his political career within the Conservative Party as it is widely believe that she would not leave the Party if that were the case.
Whether her reinvention as a Reform politician will cement her reputation as a political survivor or prove to be a final act in a turbulent career remains to be seen. For Reform to be seen purely as the party of Conservative outcasts isn’t positive for them. However, Dorries’ entrance couldn’t have come at a better time for Reform, as following Angela Rayner’s resignation from Labour government, the parties sit in dichotomy over their inclusion of working class female politicians into positions of power.
