IN his first interview since defecting to Reform UK, Andrew Rosindell has told GB News that he made the move because he wanted to save the country from “this disastrous socialist government”.
He told GB News’ Political Editor Christopher Hope: “I am tired of the way this country is heading. I want this country to be rescued from this disastrous socialist government. The only way that’s going to happen is if Nigel Farage is our next prime minister. That much is clear.
“It may be that the Conservatives and Reform in the end have to work together. But this country needs radical change. We need to reform this country, because at the moment, we’re heading in a spiral downwards. So I think this is the right time to make a stand and to show my constituents and the British people that we need to unite to rescue our country.
“I’ve been an MP for nearly 25 years, and I’ve always been a committed Conservative and an admirer of Margaret Thatcher. So it is hard to leave a party you’ve been a member of for 45 years, but I believe that our country is more important than any political party.
“Putting Britain first has got to be the objective of why we’re in politics. And so I think I look at the country today, and I’m quite frightened about where we’re heading, and we need something radical. We can’t keep this see-sawing between Labour and Conservative and nothing much changing. We need something radical, something new to rescue Britain.
“I believe Margaret Thatcher always put this country’s interest first. And I think she would have analysed the way things are today, and would realise that we need to come, the right needs to come together. I don’t think that her priority was the party over the country. She would always put the country first, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Asked if he thought Thatcher would have joined Reform UK, he said: “So she might have joined Reform as well. I wouldn’t like to speak for Mrs Thatcher, but she was first and foremost a patriot, and I think she would have done whatever was necessary to put our country first.
“I mean, Winston Churchill wasn’t in the same party all the time. Margaret Thatcher was. I would have preferred everything to be Conservative. But if the Conservative Party hadn’t changed and gone into the mushy middle, as we saw in those 14 years, there wouldn’t be a Reform Party.
“If Margaret Thatcher was here today, it would all be Conservative. But it hasn’t worked out like that. So I think we’ve got to be realistic and think about the best interests of the United Kingdom.”
On whether he was trying to save his seat, he said: “Look, I’ve won it against the trend at every election. Basically it should have gone Labour last time, but I got a much lower swing against me in Romford than other neighbouring seats. Who knows what would happen?
“I think I could win it as a Conservative. I could win it. Certainly win it as Reform, but actually, with me as the candidate, people voting Reform, people voting Conservative, they’re getting the same thing. So it’s uniting the right in Romford.”
He said he would not seek a by-election: “So the cost of a by-election is really, frankly, unjustifiable. We are elected. All MPs are elected as individuals. We’re not elected as a party. We are elected as a person. So I don’t really see the need for a by-election.
“I think the most important thing is to organise ourselves ready to fight and win the general election when the whole of the country can vote to get rid of this disastrous Labour government.”
Rosindell said he has not been offered a specific role with Reform: “No, I’m not really seeking jobs and titles, and I think that’s one of the problems with this place over here. Everyone wants a title. Everyone wants to be a dame or a knight or a peer or have a ministerial job. I’m about doing things. I’m about standing up for the right principles.
“It’s not about being someone. It’s about doing something for your country. So I will do whatever I need to do, working with Nigel and Reform, but also working with my colleagues in the Conservative Party, my former colleagues. Let’s work together for the interests of our country.”
On how many others might defect, he said: “I couldn’t answer that. It’s a very, very personal decision. It’s a tough decision to make. What did it for me? I mean, Robert Jenrick, absolutely fantastic guy. He would have been – I don’t think we’d be in this position today if we’d elected Robert Jenrick as our leader. And what happened to him – Kemi should have asked him to stay, but she didn’t. She let him go. In fact, he was thrown under a bus, from all I can see. I was ashamed of that.
“Also the Chagossian situation. We aren’t even offering them self-determination. We’ve sort of only half-heartedly fought this whole disgraceful betrayal. I can’t put up with this any longer.”
He added: “For a long time now, I’ve been thinking about going to Reform, because I’ve been a friend of Nigel’s for 25 years. I’ve always admired him. We’ve always been friends, and we’ve agreed on pretty much everything over those years. And I do think he’s going to be a very good prime minister for this country, but he needs a good team around him, and I’m prepared to support him and work with him, because I think his only ambition really is to look after Britain.
“And my god, don’t we need a change? This government is a disaster, and I think that the idea of Nigel coming in and shaking the country up and reforming Britain for the better is exactly what we need.”
