Lee Anderson, who has defected from the Tories to Reform, is about to find out that switching parties is not an easy thing to do. Politics is so tribal that most politicians are inclined to stick with ‘their side’ no matter what. When they change sides, it’s worth asking why.

Having once been a Conservative MP in a solid blue constituency, who made the decision to join Ukip – which at the time had never won a parliamentary seat – I know how difficult a decision it can be. Anderson is likely to have had a lot of sleepless nights.

If you decide to change party, you owe it to your electorate to go back and ask their permission

Cynics might suggest that Anderson, who had already lost the Tory whip, was pushed, rather than jumped. I am not sure that is entirely true. As a former deputy chairman of the party, had Anderson expressed enough contrition over his clumsy comments about Muslims and the Mayor of London, I imagine he would have been able to stand as a Conservative at the looming general election.

Like me, he might have ultimately left the Conservatives because he felt that the clique that runs it is hopeless on an issue of overwhelming importance. But there is a key difference between our decisions to change side. At the end of a surprise joint press conference with Nigel Farage, I announced that I would be resigning as an MP that afternoon, returning to my Clacton constituency, and fight a by-election as the Ukip candidate.

Anderson, it appears, is not prepared to do something similar. To be fair to him, neither did half a dozen sitting MPs who left Labour and the Conservatives and joined the electorally unsuccessful Change UK party.

The fate of Change UK shows why this is a mistake. First, there is a basic democratic principle. If you are elected to parliament under the colours of one party, and you decide to change party, you owe it to your electorate to go back and ask their permission. Trust the voters if you want them to trust you. When I called a by-election in Clacton, I went on to win it with one of the largest swings of any election in British history.

If, like Anderson, your whole shtick is that you are against politics as usual, it is not a great look to shy away from a by-election. Both Anderson and his friends at Reform present themselves as insurgents. They should be prepared to submit their newest recruit to a snap by-election.

What is the point of changing parties at all? If Lee Anderson, as the sitting MP, cannot persuade the people he has served over the past few years to support him under the Reform banner, he’s hardly likely to accomplish anything anyway. Fighting a by-election under his new colours is a way to provide proof-of-concept.

When I called a by-election in Clacton, I not only wanted to see if I might hold the seat in a subsequent general election (I did – something that had not been done since 1926), I wanted to road test tactics and techniques for any future EU referendum campaign. In order to pressure the Cameron clique into giving the country a referendum on our EU membership, I carefully timed my departure a few months ahead of the date of a possible general election.

Many of the approaches we went on to use so effectively in the 2016 Brexit vote, we pioneered in Clacton in the 2014 by-election and 2015 general election. The decision to call a by-election paid off short term, and was instrumental in helping us win the long game.

How does Reform think it is going to fare in the coming general election if it cannot hold Ashfield today? How does Anderson imagine Reform might change Britain’s politics if it isn’t willing to offer voters in Ashfield the chance to vote for it now?

Britain desperately needs a radical new direction. The political minions that have held office over the past two decades have been out of their depth. On everything from economics to immigration, health care to Net Zero, our tweedle dumb and tweedle dee parties are simply wrong.

Like millions of fellow Brits, I would like to see political leaders emerge who are equal to the challenges that Britain faces. A new generation of leaders needs to be able to articulate clearly and compellingly how the country might be renewed. I am not sure such leaders would baulk at the prospect of a by-election.