Tories must embrace Nigel Farage after defeat, says ex-Wrexham MP

Ms Atherton was one of the Tories who were all defeated in Wales last Thursday, as the party saw its 2019 total of 14 MPs reduced to none.

Wrexham was among the swathe of north-east Wales seats that returned to Labour this time after five years with a Conservative MP.

Ms Atherton, speaking to BBC Wales as she cleared out her Westminster office, said of Mr Farage, who is now the MP for Clacton: “He’s a very successful politician, you cannot argue that and he certainly was instrumental within Brexit.

“I think Nigel Farage should have been embraced within the party. At what position and where that would be debatable, but he should have been embraced.

“We certainly, I don’t think, would have been in this position right now if we’d have done that.”

Ms Atherton said immigration was the “key issue” in her patch and Reform UK “really took my votes” .

“If I’d have had the Reform vote I would have won,” said Ms Atherton.

She lost to Labour’s Andrew Ranger, who had a 5,948 majority. The Reform candidate in Wrexham received 6,915 votes.

“They [the government] did not listen to us [MPs] on immigration and when they realised it was the key issue on the doorsteps, it was too late.”