The exact article that Tim Montgomery will write in 2028

A taste of the future

“You’ve gone a bit loopy Tim”. “Tim, this is bonkers.” And then less politely. “F--- you Tim”. These are just some of the notifications which were blowing up my phone when I appeared on Television at the end of 2024 to announce that I was planning to join Reform UK.

Now that I’ve decided to leave the Reform party and rejoin the Conservative Family (just incase you’ve been under a rock for the last week) you might expect me to put my hands up and say “Mea Culpa” to the people who sent me their concerns.

Well. Yes. There’s got to be a bit of contrition on my part. But I would say in my defence that, at the time, there were profound reasons to believe that Reform could be the right vehicle for small-c conservatives who believe in the small state, education reform and the broader social mobility agenda - instead of this nasty admixture of Powellite half-colonels and online right ethno-nationalists. Looking back, I think people like me got three estimates wrong:

We underestimated how complicated the structure of a national political party really is. Not just in the organisation of regional and local branches but national infrastructure like a fully fleshed out policy team. Add to that the lack of a deep talent pool – hundreds of professionals ready to work for you or stand as MPs, and you’ve got an inoperable system, even with the best of intentions.

We underestimated Kemi. This was my crucial mistake as a full bodied supporter of Robert Jenrick. It’s easy to forget now that she is in her full pomp and pageantry how, at the end of 2024, Kemi accusing Nigel Farage of lying about his membership numbers. Wiser heads at the time said that, much like Mrs Thatcher, she would eventually grow into the role whilst in opposition. I didn’t listen to these people when I should have.

We overestimated Farage. I, like most people, went into this knowing his limitations. I knew that up until 2024 he had never wanted to be Prime Minister, that he has never taken any deep interest in policy and is uncomfortable about any tall poppies in his ranks. My mistake was thinking that the prospect of real power would focus his mind, that he’d up his work ethic, choose his language carefully and most crucially of all do his due diligence on who is giving him money. These changes were preconditions to effective government, and in retrospect, I should have waited for more evidence that they were taking place.

The fish rots at its head, and though I could point to a few nasty racists who’ve managed to filter into the party’s bloodstream (against my best efforts), the responsibility for this disappointment is with Nigel. He has not just let me down, he has let down all small-c conservatives and all members of the public who need a proper conservative government to take on the cost of living crisis, repair our frayed social fabric and negotiate a fraught geopolitical world.

Just yesterday I was explaining to a young person that as recently as ten years ago you could buy four cans of fosters for four pounds in most supermarkets. He sent me on to the bus stop with an obliging smile. I sometimes can’t believe how polite the they are to oldies like us, the way we’ve let them down over the past few decades.

I just hope that former friends and colleagues from the party will show me the same clemency now that my dalliance with Reform has come to an end. To tell you the truth – it’s good to be home.

N.B to journalists. Please cite me as ‘Very Senior Source’ when I privately brief you about my disappointment with the direction that Reform UK has taken.

Why wait for him to stab you in the back? Why not just cut him loose now?