Andrew Rosindell is the Reform UK MP for Romford, having first been elected to parliament at the 2001 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Rosindell (standing as a Conservative) won 15,339 votes, representing 34.8% of the vote. The Labour candidate, Andrew Achilleos, received 13,876 votes (31.5%), while the Reform UK candidate, Philip Hyde, secured 9,624 votes (21.8%). Rosindell was duly elected with a majority of 1,463 votes.

The Romford constituency is located in the London Borough of Havering, North East London. It is a bellwether seat and the area voted strongly to Leave the EU in 2016.

Political Career

Rosindell defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK on 18 January 2026. Rosindell’s defection came mere days after Robert Jenrick, the former shadow chancellor, was welcomed by Nigel Farage’s party.

In a statement at the time, Rosindell said that the “views and concerns of constituents such as mine in Romford have been consistently ignored for far too long”.

He added: “Our country has endured a generation of managed decline. Radical action is now required to reverse the damaging decisions of the past and to forge a new course for Britain.”

Rosindell’s main stated reason for his defection was his opposition to the UK’s handover of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Talks about the fate of the British-controlled islands began under the Conservatives. Rosindell said both Labour and the Conservatives had “been complicit in the surrender of this sovereign British territory to a foreign power”.

A Conservative source responded that Rosindell’s departure was an example of Farage doing the “spring cleaning” of Tory leader Kemi Badenoch. They said Reform was “welcome” to Rosindell.

In total, Rosindell was the third sitting Conservative MP to join the party since 2024, following Danny Kruger and Jenrick. His defection made Reform the fifth biggest party grouping in the House of Commons, alongside Sinn Féin which follows an abstentionist policy.

Rosindell served as shadow parliamentary under secretary of state for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on the Conservative frontbench appointed by Kemi Badenoch from November 2024 to January 2026.

During the Conservative party’s last stint in opposition, Rosindell served as shadow minister for home affairs (animal welfare) (2007-2010) and as an opposition whip (2005-2007). He was vice-chairman of the Conservative party from 2004 to 2005.

In January 2022, Rosindell stood by the prime minister, Boris Johnson, during the “Partygate” scandal.

At the time, he told Sky News: “I think we’ve all done it, let’s not be so judgemental that the prime minister of the United Kingdom has not committed some horrendous, terrible crime the deserves the entire government to be derailed…

“Anyway, lots of people break the law in small ways, sometimes unintentionally.

“He’s not robbed a bank.”

Rosindell was arrested in May 2022 on suspicion of indecent assault, sexual assault, rape, abuse of position of trust and misconduct in public office, relating to alleged offences that were said to have taken place in London between 2002 and 2009. Rosindell denied wrongdoing and was never charged.

In February 2024, the Metropolitan Police stated he would face no further action as the evidence did not meet the threshold for prosecution. A spokesperson for Rosindell said he had been “completely exonerated”.

A Met spokesperson said: “A thorough investigation has been carried out by detectives. They concluded that the evidence did not meet the threshold set by crown prosecutors. The man has been informed he will face no further action.”

As a result of the investigation, Rosindell did not attend parliament. He was nonetheless unanimously reselected as the candidate by his local association in 2023 ahead of the 2024 general election.

Rosindell was a longstanding member of the panel of chairs (2010-2024). The panel of chairs is made up of MPs chosen by the House of Commons speaker, typically at the beginning of every parliament, to chair public bill committees and other commons general committees.

Rosindell also sat on the foreign affairs committee (2010-2024) and regulatory reform committee (2001-2005).

Rosindell delivered his maiden speech on 17 July 2001.

In it, he said: “For me, there can be no greater privilege and honour than to be elected to serve as the member of parliament for my home town of Romford.”

Rosindell said Margaret Thatcher’s “leadership and courage” during her tenure as prime minister was his “rallying call to the Conservative cause.”

He added: “I want to outline some of the issues that I will emphasise and campaign on during my time in parliament – issues that were brought up time and again by the voters of Romford during my campaign.

“We live in the most free and stable democracy in the world, yet our freedom and our democracy are challenged by a relentless slide into a European political union.

“The task of redefining Britain’s relationship with Europe and thereby re-establishing self-government for our nation is the most fundamental question of our time. Over the past 30 years, successive British governments have subjected their citizens to a form of higher law, a law determined not simply beyond our shores but beyond our democratic ability to decide.

“The betrayal of our historic institutions and processes can and must stop. In particular, we must never give away control of our currency.”

Before entering Parliament, Rosindell served as a Conservative councillor for Chase Cross ward on Havering London Borough Council from 1990 to 2002.

He is listed as a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) for Australia and New Zealand (ANZAC) and the Pacific Islands, British Heritage, Commonwealth, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories, San Marino and Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Political views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Tory leadership 2024: Rosindell supported Robert Jenrick’s candidacy in the 2024 Conservative Party leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Rishi Sunak following the party’s defeat in the 2024 general election.

Jenrick, a former immigration minister, positioned himself on the right wing of the party, advocating for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). He emerged as an early frontrunner, topping the first two parliamentary ballots. After reaching the final two, he was defeated in the membership vote by Kemi Badenoch, receiving 41,388 votes (43.5%) compared to Badenoch’s 53,806 (56.5%).

Tory leadership 2022 (I): Rosindell supported Liz Truss’ candidacy in the Conservative Party’s July-September 2022 leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Boris Johnson, following the mass exodus of more than 60 frontbenchers.

Truss, the then-foreign secretary, campaigned on a platform of sweeping tax cuts. After finishing second in the final parliamentary ballot with 113 votes, she won the subsequent vote of the party membership with 81,326 votes (57.4%) and was appointed prime minister on 6 September.

Tory leadership 2022 (II): Rosindell supported Boris Johnson’s explored candidacy in the Conservative Party’s October 2022 leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Liz Truss after just 45 days in office, following the financial and political tailspin triggered by her “mini-budget”.

Johnson, who had resigned as prime minister only months earlier, initially sought a return to office and claimed to have secured the 100 nominations required to proceed. However, he announced his withdrawal on 23 October, stating that “you can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament.” Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, later confirmed that Johnson had indeed secured the 100 MPs necessary to force a ballot of the Conservative membership – which he could well have won.

Tory leadership 2019: Rosindell supported Johnson for the party’s leadership in 2019. The election was triggered by the resignation of Theresa May following her inability to secure a Brexit deal acceptable to the Conservative Party.

Johnson, the former foreign secretary and mayor of London, campaigned on the central pledge to “deliver Brexit” by 31 October 2019, “deal or no deal”. He thereby positioned himself as the candidate best-placed to break the parliamentary deadlock. Johnson secured 114 votes in the first parliamentary ballot, and reached 160 votes in the final MP round. In the subsequent ballot of the party membership, Johnson won a decisive victory with 92,153 votes (66.4%).

Tory leadership 2016: Rosindell supported Andrea Leadsom for the party’s leadership in July 2016. The election was triggered by the resignation of David Cameron following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union.

Leadsom, the minister of state for energy and climate change, emerged as a leading “Leave” candidate, securing 66 votes in the first ballot and 84 in the second. She withdrew from the contest on 11 July before the membership vote could take place.

Factional identity and party tradition

In a post to social media in October 2025, Rosindell described Margaret Thatcher as “the finest prime minister and greatest British leader of my lifetime.”

Marking the centenary of Thatcher’s birth, Rosindell added: “I will never stop working to uphold the love of freedom, about which she spoke with such passion; her patriotic belief in Britain; and the true conservative principles that she spent her entire life fighting for.”

Mass deportation: In May 2025, Rosindell signed an early day motion (EDM) concerning the mass deportation of illegal migrants. The motion, tabled by the independent MP Rupert Lowe, expressed “grave concern at the continued presence of over one million illegal migrants in the United Kingdom”.

The EDM urged the government to “implement a comprehensive national strategy to identify, detain, and deport all individuals found to be residing in the United Kingdom illegally, and to ensure that such policies are backed by the necessary legislative, diplomatic, logistical and financial resources to restore confidence in the rule of law and the security of our borders.”

Lucy Connolly EDM: In May 2025, Rosindell joined a small, cross-party group of MPs in signing a parliamentary motion expressing concern over the imprisonment of Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for inciting racial hatred in a social media post following the knife attacks in Southport. Connolly posted online calling for “mass deportation now”, adding “set fire to all the… hotels [housing asylum seekers]… for all I care”.

The early day motion, tabled by Lowe, stated that Connolly was a young mother convicted of a non-violent offence during a period of “unprecedented overcrowding” in the prison system.

European Research Group: Rosindell was a longstanding member of the European Research Group (ERG). During the Conservative Party’s last stint in government, the ERG emerged as a highly influential Tory faction composed of staunchly eurosceptic MPs. Founded in 1993, the group played a pivotal role in shaping the UK’s exit from the European Union, consistently advocating for a “hard” Brexit.

Its members were generally and often stridently critical of the withdrawal agreement negotiated by Theresa May. Chaired variously by Mark Francois, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Steve Baker and Suella Braverman, the group proved instrumental in May’s downfall as prime minister.

Common sense group: In the 2019-2024 parliament, Rosindell was associated with the Common Sense Group (CSG) of socially conservative MPs. The CSG’s principal focus was to combat what it described as “woke” ideology. In 2021, it published a manifesto, Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age, which took aim at the Equality Act 2010, the supreme court, British broadcasters and environmentalist direct action group Extinction Rebellion. Veteran Conservative MP Sir John Hayes served as the group’s chair.

In a 2020 open letter published in the Daily Telegraph, MPs of the Common Sense Group said the faction had formed to “speak for the silent majority of voters tired of being patronised by elitist bourgeois liberals whenever issues such as immigration or law and order are raised.”

The Free Market Forum: Rosindell was listed as a supporter of the Free Market Forum (FMF) of Conservative MPs and peers. The group, co-chaired by Dehenna Davison and Greg Smith in the 2019-2024 parliament, set out to “encourage free market thinking, winning over the unpersuaded and providing intellectual firepower and a public platform to proponents of classical liberalism.” Founded in 2021, the forum, associated with the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), was seen as aligned with the economic policies of the Liz Truss government.

Blue Collar Conservatives: Rosindell was previously listed as a member of the Blue Collar Conservatives group. This faction within the Conservative party was founded in 2012 by the former cabinet minister Esther McVey, but came to greater prominence following the 2019 general election. The group aimed to “champion working people and develop a conservative agenda to benefit the voters and communities most neglected by Labour”. In October 2022, McVey was succeeded by Lee Anderson as the group’s chair.

Cornerstone Group: Rosindell was a member of the Cornerstone Group, a highly traditionalist and socially conservative faction of Conservative MPs. Its political philosophy was summarised by its motto: “Faith, Flag, and Family”. In July 2005, the group published a pamphlet that accused the-leader Michael Howard of running a general election campaign that was too “timid” about tax cuts, public service reform and family values.

Brexit and Europe

Brexit referendum: Rosindell supported Leave in the 2016 Brexit referendum, and therefore agreed with a majority of his constituents, 69.3% of whom also voted to Leave.

Article 50: In February 2017, Rosindell voted in favour of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. The legislation empowered the prime minister to notify the Council of the European Union of the UK’s intention to withdraw, formally triggering the process set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. MPs supported the bill by 498 votes to 114 at second reading.

Brexit spartan: Rosindell was one of the 28 so-called “Brexit spartans”, a group of hardline Eurosceptic Conservative MPs who voted against then-prime minister Theresa May’s Brexit withdrawal agreement on all three occasions it was put to parliament in 2019. The so-called “spartans” argued that May’s deal did not represent a genuine departure from the European Union. Their steadfast opposition was a critical factor in May’s resignation as prime minister.

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, Rosindell voted against the UK-EU Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill. The bill, introduced under the ten-minute rule procedure by Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton, sought to mandate the government to enter into negotiations with the European Union to establish a bespoke customs union.

Assisted dying

Rosindell voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Rosindell voted against a backbench amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that sought to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in June 2025. The amendment, which was passed by a majority of 242 votes, removed women from the threat of prosecution for ending a pregnancy at any stage. As an issue of conscience, MPs were allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs.

Same-sex marriage (2013): In February 2013, Rosindell was one of the 139 Conservative MPs to vote against the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill at its second reading. The landmark piece of legislation, which received its second reading by 400 votes to 175, legalised marriage for same-sex couples in England and Wales.

Foreign policy and security

Trident renewal (2016): Rosindell voted in favour of a government motion calling for the renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent system in July 2016. The motion, which was passed by 472 votes to 117, committed the UK to constructing a new fleet of submarines to carry the nation’s nuclear weapons.

Syria airstrikes (2015): Rosindell voted in favour of a government motion to extend UK airstrikes against Isis from Iraq into Syria in December 2015. The motion, which was passed by 397 votes to 223 after a ten-hour debate in the House of Commons, authorised the RAF to conduct strikes against Isis targets in Syria.

Iraq War authorisation vote (2003): In March 2003, Rosindell voted in favour of the government motion authorising military action against Iraq. The vote, one of the most contentious in recent parliamentary history, gave the prime minister, Tony Blair, the authority to join the US-led invasion.

Civil liberties

Covid passes vote (2021): Rosindell was one of 99 Conservative MPs to vote against Covid passes in England in December 2021.

Covid passes campaign (2021): Rosindell was one of over 70 MPs and peers who launched a cross-party campaign against the “divisive and discriminatory use” of Covid passes in April 2021. The campaign was triggered by government reviews into “vaccine passports”, which signatories argued would create a two-tier society and infringe upon fundamental civil liberties.

Before Politics

Born Andrew Richard Rosindell in Romford on 17 March 1966, he attended Marshalls Park School.

Rosindell joined the Conservative Party aged 14 and was chairman of the Young Conservatives from 1993-1994.

He worked as international director of the European Foundation think tank from 1997 to 2001. He was chairman of the Young Conservatives (1993-94) and the International Young Democrat Union (1998-2002).

Personal Life

Rosindell has reportedly lived in Romford all his life.

Trivia

Rosindell has been described as a “flag fanatic”.

He campaigned in Glasgow in 1992 accompanied by his dog Spike wearing a Union Jack waistcoat. He went on to secure the lowest share of the vote of any Conservative candidate in Great Britain, according to his 2001 maiden speech.

Rosindell also stood as a Conservative candidate in Thurrock during the 1997 general election. “A Labour majority there of 1,000 turned into one of 17,000”, he later remarked.