Mendoza quits Tories to join Reform
Henry Jackson Society (HJS) founder was elected as a Tory councillor in Westminister
Nigel Farage has gained the support of another prominent communal figure, after Dr Alan Mendoza announced he has left the Conservative Party after 30 years to join Reform UK.
Mendoza, founder and executive director of the right-leaning Henry Jackson Society (HJS) and a Conservative councillor in Westminster since 2022, said he was “proud” to be defecting to Reform.
He will advise Farage and the party on foreign policy and geopolitics.
“Britain today is in abject crisis,” Mendoza stated. “At home and abroad, our leaders seem determined to chart a course of national and international decline. The British people deserve better than this. In Reform UK, we finally have a party that will put our interests first and ensure our tomorrow is better than our today. This is the party I’m proud to join—one that will bring change the nation can be proud of, and restore us to the first rank of global powers.”
On X, Mendoza, also a board member of the S&P Sephardi Community, described his decision to leave the Conservative Party after three decades as “difficult”.
Farage welcomed Mendoza’s appointment, saying, “His intricate understanding of foreign policy and experience in global affairs is invaluable. I look forward to working closely with him as we shape our policy platform in the months and years ahead.”
Cllr Paul Swaddle, leader of Westminster City Conservatives, called Mendoza’s defection “disappointing,” telling the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Our thousands of conversations with Westminster residents show there is no appetite for Reform in Westminster.”
During the previous Tory government, Mendoza was known for his close links to senior ministers such as Michael Gove and Priti Patel.
He has long warned about the threat of Islamism to Britain and the West and is a staunch supporter of Israel.
Following the recent Gaza peace plan, Mendoza said it demonstrated that decisive US leadership remains crucial in international affairs.
Other communal figures who have moved from the Conservatives to Reform include Rael Braverman, husband of former minister Suella Braverman, who has since switched back, and Gary Mond, a senior figure in the Conservative Friends of Israel group.