Tories react to ex-leader's defection to Reform

Former Conservative leader of the Royal Borough, Simon Dudley, has left the Tories for Reform UK – saying this is the party to fix Britain’s housing crisis.

Mr Dudley was the leader of Windsor and Maidenhead council from 2016 until his resignation in 2019, and is also a former chairman of Homes England.

He was a driving force behind the Borough Local Plan and the move to build hundreds of homes on Maidenhead Golf Course – decisions that he defended in a recent letter to the Advertiser despite widespread criticism from residents.

In a video published to his X account this week, Mr Dudley said his shift of loyalties to Nigel Farage’s party reflects the dire condition of Britain’s housing market.

“For decades, politicians in Westminster have made housing less affordable,” he said.

“If you’re a renter, you can expect to be 37 before you can buy your first home. Rent now takes up over 40 per cent of household income in Britain.

“The housing crisis is making everyone poorer and it didn’t happen by accident,” he said.

Walking around Maidenhead in the video, Mr Dudley spoke of his credentials for ‘getting tens of thousands of good-quality homes built’.

Maidenhead Conservatives responded to the news of Mr Dudley’s defection on its Facebook page, saying: “Reform is a party that highlights the grievance but does nothing about solutions.

“We believe the country deserves better than glib answers to hard questions.”

RBWM’s Conservative group leader, Cllr Sally Coneron, added in a letter to the Advertiser: “On behalf of Conservative councillors and members across the Royal Borough, I can only echo Kemi Badenoch’s words: the Conservatives are learning from the mistakes of the past and [Mr Dudley is] Nigel’s problem now.”