WATCH: Danny Kruger reveals when he first considered defecting to Reform

Personally, I'm feeling pretty conflicted. I've left behind a lot of very good friends

Locally in my association, some wonderful people who've supported me as a Conservative candidate and an activist

And then nationally, I've got very good friends. I respect and admire Kemi-Baden-Roch personally

I love our Chief Whip, or my former Chief Whip. And I've got very many good friends in Parliament who will be very dismayed by what I've done

So on a personal level, it's really difficult. But I think it's the right thing to do because I don't think the Conservative Party can deliver Conservatism

I don't think they can deliver for the public. It's a big leap you're taking. Is there any Reform UK organisation locally

I think there is. They've just won a whole bunch of council seats from the Conservatives

and I look forward to meeting them. But, I mean, it's a very, very tough challenge

We've got to organise sufficiently to take on the next set of local elections

and then get ready for the big one, general election, in a couple of years' time. You said in July that Reform government would spend money like a drunken sailor Do you still agree with that sentiment What my concern was was that they seemed to want to spend more or at least not reduce the welfare bill But we heard from Nigel Farage at his party conference a couple of weeks ago

They recognise that the welfare bill is unsustainable and they are committed to bringing about reductions

in order to achieve some kind of fiscal continence, which is what is so vital

So I'm glad to say no longer drunken sailors. Is the ultimate goal here to bring the two parties together

Would you like to see a merger between the Tory party and reform at some point in the future

Listen, I think that's got to wait until we're closer to the election and we see how the land lies

I think the primary reality, though, in a first-past-the-post system is there's only really room for one major challenger to the Labour Party

And I think all true Conservatives should recognise that's got to be reformed

So painful as it is, because we all love the old institution of the Tory party, I just think it's got to make way now

And Conservatives should move into the vehicle that's most likely to deliver the sort of change we want

You said they are waiting before the election That implies there could be talked about a merger between the Tories and reform before the election almost echoing what happened in Canada As I say it not for me to anticipate that I no idea what kind of conversations might have been happening

But what we hear very clearly from Nigel Farage is he's not actually interested in doing deals. He wants to win former Conservative support to reform

and I think that's the right strategy, painful as that is for my Conservative colleagues

Well, your former colleague, Kevin Badenoch, she says this party is a left-wing party, is it

As I say, I think she's probably putting too much into the commitment that Nigel made to maintain the two-child

or to scrap the two-child benefit cap. I think he's corrected the record quite clearly on that

There's no chance that the Reform Party will be advocating higher spending, let alone higher taxes and higher borrowing

We've absolutely got to get spending under control and bring down the welfare bill

So, no, I'm afraid it's not the case that Reform is a left-wing party. I think we're slightly scratching at straws for that

and no by-election planned, even despite the people in Wiltshire voted for Tory last

time not reform UK MP Well I going to continue to do the exact job that I was elected to do and that I done since the last election which is to oppose the Labour government to stand up for Conservative principles to support and represent my constituents as best I can as a local MP So nothing is

actually changing on the ground for me. People knew what they were getting when they voted

for me, and that's what I'm going to continue to do. And more to come? More colleagues of yours to come across? No idea. I haven't been involved in any other conversations, and that's for Nigel

But you've been talking for a year or so? Well, I've been in conversation with

reform colleagues, particularly Lee Anderson, who was a Conservative colleague, since he went across. We all meet in Parliament. But no, actually, this was quite a recent

conversation that started between me and Nigel. I've come to recognise in quite a recent

period that there just isn't any hope for the Conservatives. The first sitting Tory MP to jump a ship. What do you say to critics who say you're a rat

leaving a sinking ship? Well, listen, if I was simply concerned with my own safety, I'd be staying in East Wiltshire

which is one of the safest Conservative seats there is. I mean, it's not a target for reform

So actually I'm taking quite a bold personal gamble here. I'm not expecting to have an easy ride of it, but I just think it's the right thing to do