A member of the London Assembly from the Conservative Party has made the switch to Reform UK.

Keith Prince, who has been part of the Tory party for nearly five decades, held the position of leader of Redbridge Council in east London from 2009 until 2014 and currently serves as a councillor on Havering Council, also located in east London.

Since 2016, he has represented the Havering and Redbridge constituency in the assembly.

With Mr. Prince’s move, Reform UK now possesses one assembly member, allowing the party, spearheaded by Nigel Farage, to establish an official group within the assembly for the first time.

Such an official group within the assembly is eligible for an allocation of committee positions corresponding to the number of Assembly Members (AMs) they have.

The London Assembly is composed of 25 elected members responsible for overseeing the functions and decisions of the mayor of London.

Following Mr. Prince’s switch, the current assembly composition includes 11 AMs from Labour, seven from the Conservatives, three from the Greens, two from the Liberal Democrats, and two from Reform UK.

Mr. Prince’s defection occurs just before the Conservative Party Conference, which kicks off in Manchester on Sunday, and follows the recent transition of Tory MP Danny Kruger to Reform UK last month.