Robert Jenrick’s planned defection to Reform UK was pre-empted by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who sacked him just days before he intended to announce his move. Senior figures in Badenoch’s office were alerted to Jenrick’s plans after receiving screenshots of his resignation speech and media strategy, reportedly from a mole within his team.
The speech, double-spaced for ease of reading, urged fellow Tories to defect alongside him, accusing the party of having “lost its way” and criticising senior figures such as Priti Patel and Mel Stride. Jenrick described Nigel Farage as the “right person” to lead the country. Despite rumours, the Tory leadership was shocked by the betrayal, though Jenrick’s aides had openly speculated about when he might defect.
Badenoch acted swiftly, instructing chief whip Rebecca Harris to inform Jenrick of his dismissal. When Harris called, Jenrick angrily denied any plans to defect, according to a shadow cabinet source. The Tory leader later released a video message laying out the charges, timed to coincide with a Farage press conference in Scotland. The video was also emailed to Conservative party members, with Badenoch stating they “deserve better” than MPs who defect.
Farage appeared caught off guard, suggesting Badenoch had “panicked” and insisting no deal had been struck with Jenrick. “I’ll give him a ring this afternoon,” Farage said. “I might even buy him a pint.” When asked about Jenrick’s destination, Farage quipped: “Could be the Lib Dems? I don’t know!”
Reaction from the Conservative party was swift and brutal. One MP called Jenrick a “coward”, another a “traitor”, dismissing him as “ruthlessly ambitious and unprincipled”. A former cabinet minister criticised Jenrick’s behaviour during Rishi Sunak’s premiership, saying, “There was so much deceit and dishonesty … We should have bulleted them a lot earlier.”
