Young ex-Conservatives defect to Lib Dems, form One Nation Liberals

Cody Butler, 21, and Josh Bancroft, 26, former Conservatives who joined the Liberal Democrats in September 2026, appeared at the party's Brighton conference and are setting up the One Nation Liberals. Butler left the Tories in July after leader Kemi Badenoch said backers of net zero and the European Convention on Human Rights could not stand as candidates.