Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has claimed that Nigel Farage has performed her "spring cleaning" following the high-profile defection of former minister Robert Jenrick to Reform UK.
Frontbench Expulsion Precedes Defection
The dramatic political move on Friday, 16 January 2026, came after Mrs Badenoch had already removed Mr Jenrick from the Tory frontbench and suspended his party membership. The Conservative leader cited evidence that he had been "plotting in secret" against the party's leadership.
Speaking during a visit to an offshore training centre in Aberdeen, Mrs Badenoch stated that the former immigration minister was now "Nigel Farage's problem." She characterised Mr Jenrick as a figure who creates "instability" wherever he goes.
"Taking People Repeatedly Sacked"
In a pointed critique of her rival party, the Tory leader suggested Reform UK was becoming a repository for failed politicians. "Reform has been taking a lot of people who could not find work elsewhere," she remarked. "They've been taking people who are repeatedly sacked from government."
It was in this context that she framed Mr Farage's actions as a favour. "What I'm saying is that Nigel Farage is doing my spring cleaning," Badenoch told reporters. "The problems are going, we are even more united than we were, because we're a stronger team… Robert Jenrick was not a team player."
Ruling Out a Pact and Warning Over 'Psychodrama'
During her Scottish visit, the Conservative leader firmly committed to her party contesting the next general election alone, explicitly ruling out any electoral pact with Reform UK. She questioned the very possibility of a deal, asking: "How do you do a deal with liars? How do you do a deal with people who have been saying things that were clearly not true, not just for months, but clearly for years?"
When pressed by the Press Association on whether further "spring cleaning" was required within Conservative ranks, Mrs Badenoch issued a blunt warning to any remaining internal agitators. She stated that anyone more interested in "psychodrama" than serious governance should leave.
"If they're people who do not belong in our party, who think that it's all a game and that people's lives are a game, they just want all this psychodrama, then yes, they should go," she asserted. "We don't want people like that in the Conservative Party. They caused all the problems, and now people can see that the Conservative Party is getting its act together."
Despite the day's upheaval, Mrs Badenoch expressed strong confidence in the stability of her top team. In an interview with Sky News, she declared she was "100% confident" that no other members of her shadow cabinet would defect to Reform UK or any other party.
