Westminster was plunged into political turmoil after Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch dramatically sacked former immigration minister Robert Jenrick from her frontbench team, following the revelation of his planned defection to Reform UK. The explosive events, unfolding on a single day, have sent shockwaves through the Conservative Party and reshaped the landscape on the right of British politics.
The Leak, The Sack, and The Social Media Ambush
The chain reaction began when a strategy document detailing Robert Jenrick's plans to defect to Reform UK was left on a photocopier and subsequently obtained by Badenoch's team. Seizing the moment, Badenoch, who was on a campaign visit in Scotland, posted a social media video at 11.06am announcing his dismissal. The video, quickly becoming a meme, showed a twinkly-eyed Badenoch in a casual setting, delivering the political equivalent of a hit.
Jenrick was not only relieved of his duties as shadow justice secretary but was also suspended as a Conservative MP. The speed and finality of the move echoed through the corridors of power. As the Commons debated Labour's ID cards policy, news of the drama spread. By 11.11am, Labour backbenchers were distracted, gleefully sharing the news, while a junior minister tasked with defending the government's position visibly slumped in relief.
Farage's 'Late Christmas Present' and a Westminster Frenzy
The focus immediately shifted to Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, who was campaigning in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. Farage confirmed he had been in discussions with Jenrick, effectively ending any claims of innocence. "I'll give him a ring this afternoon," Farage chortled. "I might even buy him a pint." He later described the defection as a "late Christmas present."
In Westminster, speculation ran rife. Would Jenrick deny the plot? Trigger a by-election in his Newark seat? A special adviser was seen in a state of high anxiety near Big Ben, while Jenrick himself, normally media-friendly, was conspicuously absent. Rolling news channels went into overdrive, with one Sky News segment at 12.15pm suggesting Jenrick could be a "John the Baptist" figure for Farage.
The Press Conference and the Ruptured Right
The drama culminated at 4.38pm in a Westminster skyscraper, where a newly-defected Robert Jenrick stood alongside Nigel Farage. In a fluent speech, Jenrick criticised former colleagues by name and pledged allegiance to Farage and Reform UK. Farage, sitting adjacent and admiring his fingernails between coughs, watched on as his party absorbed its highest-profile Conservative convert.
The immediate beneficiary of the chaos is Sir Keir Starmer, who also happened to be in Scotland. He accused Badenoch of "dithering timidity," a charge many found ironic given the day's events. Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake labelled Jenrick's actions "treacherous," insisting the move was about personal ambition, not policy. The incident has plunged the Conservative right into disarray, drawing comparisons to the sacking of Enoch Powell in 1968.
The day's events represent a seismic shift. With Jenrick now in the Reform fold, the battle for votes on the right has intensified, threatening to split the Conservative vote and handing a significant advantage to Labour. As one observer noted, politics is now a volatile mix of "eightsome reel and Russian roulette," with the future of the right hanging in the balance.
