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Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones has left the Conservative Party and will serve out the remainder of his tenure in Lincolnshire as an independent. This comes after fellow Conservative PCC Rupert Matthews fled the Tory party for Reform.
Jones, a long serving PCC and former Conservative councillor, said: “I have always put Lincolnshire first even when that has put me at odds with the Conservative Party or its policy. I have always been independently minded and acted in the best interests of Lincolnshire.” He went on to say that he felt he could better serve the people of the county and fight for better funding for police by stepping away from party politics.
Announcing his departure from the Conservative Party, Jones said that it had been the “honour of his life” to serve as PCC and that he has much to do before the role is abolished in May 2028. He said that he had “no interest” in joining another political party.
In August, Leicestershire PCC Rupert Matthews defected to the Reform Party. He said that he was frustrated by mainstream politics. He is the only Reform PCC and faced calls locally to stand down and force a by-election but since then the Labour Government announced that PCCs will be abolished in May 2028 in favour of a new model that will see directly elected mayors or local police boards take on oversight of police forces in England and Wales.
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