The Conservative Party conference is well underway in Birmingham, with Kemi Badenoch making the first of two speeches to the party faithful. Part of the upbeat feeling is down to the recent shadow cabinet reshuffle, with a number of young MPs joining the front bench. One of those was Katie Lam, often spoken of as a future Conservative leader, and now the party’s housing spokesman. Among those who hold her in high regard is Nigel Farage, who suggested in late 2025 that she was one of the MPs he wanted to defect. At that time, Reform was polling north of 30 per cent, with several then-Tory MPs in talks about coming across, including Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman.
‘This is silly – I’ve got no interest in Reform and never have. Clearly, since I didn’t defect!’
It can now be revealed that on 7 November last year, Lam met for lunch at Oswald’s club in Mayfair with Nick Candy, the honorary treasurer of Nigel Farage’s party. Coming weeks after Danny Kruger crossed the floor, Reform sources suggest that the meeting was a precursor to a defection – something vehemently denied by allies of the MP. They emphasise the social nature of the lunch, with Lam sharing a mutual friend with Candy, a prominent businessman and longtime mover in political circles. Her spokesman told The Spectator tonight: ‘It is categorically untrue that she “discussed defecting to Reform”.’ The Weald of Kent MP has since remained in the party and is one of the leading speakers at this year’s Conservative conference.
A Reform UK source says: ‘Is it any wonder paranoid Kemi has to keep repeating she’s in control – she can’t even keep her shadow cabinet interested in her. 17 per cent last year in the polls, 17 per cent this year – Kemi has reached her peak.’ For her part, Lam has been a vocal supporter of Badenoch, telling the Quite Right! podcast back in April that Farage was ‘not equipped’ to be Prime Minister. She went further tonight, saying ‘This is silly – I’ve got no interest in Reform and never have. Clearly, since I didn’t defect!’
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