Image source, British Parliament
Image description, Lucy Allan announced she had resigned from the Conservative PartyArticle information
- Author, Andrew Dawkins and PA Media
- Role, BBC News, West Midlands
- 27 May 2024, 17:26 BST
Updated 28 minutes ago
The Conservative Party announces that MP Lucy Allan has been suspended for supporting a Reform UK candidate.
Ms Allan insists she left the party to support Reform UK candidate Alan Adams in the seat she is vacating.
In Telford, Shropshire, she publicly declared her support for Mr Adams rather than Tory supporter Hannah Campbell.
A Conservative Party spokesman said she had been suspended “with immediate effect” and “a vote for reform is a vote for Keir Starmer”.
Mr Adams would offer an alternative to “more of the same policies and more of the same politicians,” Ms Allan said.
She won Telford in 2019 with a majority of 10,941 votes, but in 2017 the Conservatives won by 720 votes – and she first won the seat in 2015 with a majority of 730.
The MP said she had known Mr Adams for many years and that the Royal Navy veteran was “truly the best person for the job”.
Ms Allan said: “I want the best for Telford and I cannot simply give the Labour candidate a free kick.”
She added that Mr Adams was “not interested in personal gain, power or control over people” and that his candidacy was based on “deeply honorable motives”.
Ms Allen said: “Alan is giving Telford a choice so that Telford does not have to settle for more of the same politics and more of the same politicians.”
The Tory spokesman said that following Ms Allan's suspension, “the people of Telford now have the chance to vote for a committed and hard-working new candidate who will put Telford first”.
Asked about Ms Allan's revolt, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “When it comes to reform, I understand people's frustration.”
However, he added that people should also vote for other parties, “especially the Reform Party. The only thing that will come of it is bringing Keir Starmer to power.”
A Reform Party spokesman said the party was “absolutely delighted” that Ms Allan was supporting its candidate.
“She believes, like many Conservatives, that the Reform Party represents traditional centre-right values and priorities in a way that the Conservative Party has long forgotten,” they added.
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