Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen has nailed his colours to the mast amid speculation that he is considering a defection to Reform UK.

The Tory mayor said that he has “always” been a Conservative and had a pop at Reform’s economic credibility when asked about a potential defection.

Reporting from the Financial Times has outlined so far “unsuccessful” attempts from Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, to get Lord Houchen to jump ship to the political party that is leading the polls nationally. 

The FT said that Lord Houchen was approached by Reform towards the end of 2025 and that he participated in a meeting with Mr Farage and a staff member in mid-December.

The staff member is said to have approached Lord Houchen again last week, telling the Tees Valley mayor that Mr Farage wanted to have lunch with him.

NIgel Farage at the Big Club in Newton Aycliffe. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

One of the most high-profile Conservative politicians in the country, it would be a big coup for the insurgent party if Lord Houchen were to become a Reform politician. He would join existing regional mayors Andrea Jenkyns  in Greater Lincolnshire, and Luke Campbell, who serves as Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire. Lord Houchen has previously penned a letter to the Government alongside his East Yorkshire Reform counterpart.

However, Lord Houchen did his best to shut down such speculation, saying he had no plans to defect, adding: “I’ve always been a Conservative. Loyalty is important to me.” Mr Farage has meanwhile said that the deadline for any potential defectors is May 7 – the day of this year’s local elections – as the Reform leader attempts to kill off the Tory party.

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In his comments, Lord Houchen added: “Fundamentally, for me it’s economic competence, the way the country’s going, people are going to start looking at their own pockets . . . Once you get to that level of economic scrutiny, Reform doesn’t stack up.”

“There’s a big opportunity for the Tories to regain some trust by just focusing on the economy,” he said. Lord  Houchen has previously voiced the idea of a coalition between the Conservatives and Reform, depending on the results of the next general election.

As reported by the FT on Wednesday, he said he was not convinced that Reform would replace the Tories, with Lord Houchen saying: “It may take five, 10 or 15 years but I believe that the Tories and Reform will come together.”

© The Northern Echo