A Warwick Town councillor has left the Conservative Party to join the Liberal Democrats. 

Cllr Oliver Jacques left the party, citing growing discomfort with the Conservatives' shift to the right, his own greater alignment of values with the Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats being an effective opposition to Reform UK.

Speaking to Nub News, Cllr Jacques, who has represented the Conservatives since 2019, said his personal values largely no longer aligned with the national Conservative Party, which he feels has become increasingly pulled towards Reform UK.

Cllr Jacques stated: "I've always been more of a traditional one-nation Conservative, I guess to the left of the Party."

He explained that, during his time as a Conservative councillor, he had recognised a pull to the right, especially nationally.

"The Conservatives have been moving further right, and I felt under pressure to follow that. Trying to out-Reform Reform. For me, it's gone too far," said Cllr Jacques.

Although he described the decision as "sad" and "difficult," particularly given his good working relationships with other previous local Conservative councillors and his reflection of Warwick and Leamington as "more moderate in its conservatism", he believes the Liberal Democrats now better reflect his political outlook.

At a county level, Cllr Jacques praised the Lib Dems for holding Reform UK to account, a key factor influencing his decision to move parties. 

"It's important that Reform are held to account and has an effective opposition, and I don't think the Conservative group of the County are offering that", he expressed. 

In terms of Reform's policies at a local level, Cllr Jacques highlighted that the party is getting it "completely wrong" when it comes to multi-modal transport schemes. 

"Locally, Reform is not in favour of combined cycleways and footpaths, and a lot of effort was put in by the previous Conservative County Council administration to get these schemes up and running." 

He explained multiple benefits to the schemes, including encouraging residents to consider alternatives to driving cars, particularly for short journeys, thereby helping to improve air quality and boost wellbeing and fitness.

He said Warwick's roads can easily become congested at peak times due to the limitations of the road network, which is founded on its original medieval layout. Therefore, the fewer cars there are on the road, the less congestion and pollution there will be.

He further criticised the Conservative Group at County for wavering on Reform's deprioritisation of transport plans, contradicting "the enthusiasm" for such schemes under the previous Conservative administration at County Hall

He added that Reform's main justification for introducing the new flag policy for Warwickshire County Council was that the previous process (whereby the Chief Exec decided on which flags would be flown) 'privileged' some groups over others, such as those identifying as LGBTQ plus. 

However, he said Reform's new policy "gives the power to the Council's Chair Cllr Edward Harris to decide what other flags may be flown outside Shire Hall (if any) and also without the obligation on Cllr Harris to openly declare the reasoning for supporting or not a request for a particular flag to be flown."

He said: "This just shifts the 'privilege' to Cllr Harris and actually makes the process more opaque, not less."

He concluded this is not right for a democratically elected representative and "if Cllr Harris is taking on the role as arbiter of flags, then he should be obliged to justify openly his decisions."  

In terms of his transition from the Conservative Party to the Liberal Democrats, Cllr Jacques noted that the Lib Dem party itself "needs to start to think the unthinkable in some policy areas." 

Cllr Sarah Boad (left) and Cllr Oliver Jacques (right) (image supplied)

He cited views on the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) regarding re-interpretation under British Law to reflect widespread concerns on immigration. 

"The Lid Dems need to modernise, see the world as it is now, in terms of politics internationally and nationally and be prepared to adjust, and I think I can help."

On a personal level, Cllr Jacques' political transition has largely been met with support and positivity.

 "Locally, some Conservatives used to joke I was in the wrong party anyway," he said. 

"And, on social media, the reaction has been positive."

Cllr Jacques further recounted friends' relief when he told them he was changing parties.

"I could see the fear in their eyes, then the relief when I said I was moving to the Lib Dems rather than Reform," he added.

In terms of his priorities going forward, speaking on immigration, Cllr Jacques noted he believed digital IDs and passports are a good way to monitor immigration.

"We need to know who is here and under what grounds to be able to support those immigrants who do need support, who have come here, seeking refuge for the right reasons. 

"We need to identify them to give them the appropriate support. 

"But we also need to be confident in knowing those who have come here simply to exploit the systems in this country, in which case we need other arrangements in place to act as a deterrent for them coming here."

The Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Warwickshire County Council, Cllr Sarah Boad, officially welcomed Oliver Jacques as a new member of the Liberal Democrat faction on 20 September. 

Speaking on the transition, Cllr Boad said: "I am delighted to welcome Oliver Jacques to the Liberal Democrats.

"We got to know Oliver both during his time serving on Warwick District Council and particularly from his year as Mayor of Warwick, when he was very active around Warwick and beyond.

"Oliver represented the old 'One Nation' wing of the Conservative Party, which now seems to be effectively defunct, as they veer ever further to the right.

"We are looking forward to campaigning with Oliver across Warwick on the issues that matter to local residents."