Conservative Party defector and political commentator Tim Montgomery has told the BBC he has resigned from Reform UK, calling on Nigel Farage to “take control” of the party.
Montgomery left the Tory party 18 months ago but was suspended from Reform UK last month after criticizing senior officials.
His decision to resign came after a conversation with Reform Party chairman Lee Anderson on Tuesday. “I think they wanted me to return to the party, but humbly,” he told the BBC. “And I wasn’t ready for that.”
Montgomery said he still plans to support reform and has no intention of rejoining the Conservatives.
“I want to still be a supporter, but that requires them to be more like reformists and less like the AfD. [Germany’s right-wing Alternative for Deutschland]”, he said.
The far-right AfD won a decisive victory in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhal this weekend, in what commentators said was a watershed moment as no far-right party had controlled the German state since World War II.
Among the AfD’s policies is a highly controversial “remigration” plan, by which many understand the mass deportation of migrants.
Following controversial anti-migrant demonstrations in Dover and Portsmouth linked to Tommy Robinson this week, Montgomery suggested Nigel Farage needed to go further in asserting his authority and professionalizing the party.
“Nigel needs to pull himself together, he needs to lead the party,” he said.
“The only thing he was great at was watching right-handers and stopping [far-right activist] Tommy Robinson joins.
“But for the sake of his legacy and for the sake of decency, he needs to sort it out and bring in people like Zia. [Yusuf] under control.”
Last month Montgomery told the BBC he was disappointed by Farage’s “resentful” tone after the Clacton by-election and told the Spectator podcast that Reform’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf was not a “team player”.
Reform said at the time that he had been suspended “in accordance with party rules” after publicly criticizing the party.
Montgomery joined Reform after a long career as a Tory adviser and commentator and ran the ConservativeHome website.
In a video statement on Channel X after news of his removal appeared on Guido Fox’s website, Montgomery said he still believed in the policies of Reform and its members, and with his public criticism he was only trying to make the party “better and stronger.”
After his decision to leave, Montgomery said: “I’m very sad about it, I feel broken… As you get older, you have less fight in you.
“Reform is at a crossroads: they haven’t replaced the Conservatives, which was Plan A. I fear a battle of attrition between the two parties that won’t help anyone. The real danger now in the struggle for the political sphere is that they pursue group interests.
“Does Reform want to be a government party or does it want to stand on the edge and just change the debate?”
A Reform UK spokesman said: “We wish Tim all the best for the future and thank him for his support.”