In June 2009 Kirkhope helped to set up (with the Rt. Hon. William Hague), and then became the interim chairman of, a new European Parliament group the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) of which the UK Conservatives became founding members moving from their alliance with the EPP. He was then a candidate to become the permanent chairman of the bloc but he chose to step aside in favour of Polish MEP Michał Kamiński after Kamiński was denied one of the Vice President of the European Parliament positions by then-Conservative Edward McMillan-Scott deciding to stand as an Independent without the support of his delegation or the new group. Kirkhope was appointed deputy chairman of the ECR Group by Kamiński in return for his gesture. He stood again for the presidency after Kamiński stepped down 2 years later but was controversially defeated by Martin Callanan. Further steps to assume a leading role in the group were rebuffed.