Robert Jenrick has defected to Reform UK, launching a scathing attack on his former party and leader Kemi Badenoch. The move came after Badenoch sacked him from the shadow cabinet, pre-empting his planned defection by just hours.
Badenoch's team received screenshots of Jenrick's resignation speech and media plan from a mole in his office, sources said. The speech urged other Tories to defect, criticising senior figures like Priti Patel and Mel Stride, and praised Nigel Farage as the 'right person' to lead the country.
Badenoch acted swiftly, recording a video message and emailing Conservative members, accusing Jenrick of betrayal. 'She's blown him up with his own grenade,' a senior Tory said. Jenrick's aides had openly speculated about his defection, but the party was still shocked.
Farage, caught off guard at a press conference, said he would call Jenrick and 'might even buy him a pint'. Jenrick's defection has drawn fierce condemnation from Tory MPs, with one calling him a 'coward' and another a 'traitor'.
