Political tensions on the British right have erupted into open warfare following the dramatic defection of former Conservative minister Robert Jenrick to Reform UK. The move, announced on Thursday, 16 January 2026, was accompanied by a blistering attack in which Jenrick branded his former colleagues as 'arsonists' still in control of a broken party.
A Dramatic Exit and a Scathing Accusation
The day's events unfolded rapidly. Hours before his public announcement, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch sacked Jenrick from the Shadow Cabinet and expelled him from the party after learning of his planned switch. Jenrick, who served as Shadow Justice Secretary and previously challenged Badenoch for the leadership in 2024, did not go quietly.
In a series of interviews, he mounted an extraordinary assault on the Tories' record and future. "I came to the conclusion over the course of the last year or so that the party hadn't changed," Jenrick told the BBC. "The people who'd made those mistakes were still sat around the shadow cabinet table, the arsonists were still in control of the party." He claimed the Conservatives were incapable of understanding or fixing their errors, which he said had 'broken Britain'.
Leadership Fury and Ruling Out a Pact
Kemi Badenoch responded with fury, dismissing Jenrick's claims and categorically ruling out any electoral pact between the Conservatives and Reform. She branded the defector and his new allies as 'liars'.
"How do you do a deal with liars?" Badenoch asked. "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?" She suggested the departure strengthened her party, stating, "I'm just glad that Nigel Farage is doing my spring cleaning for me. He's taking away my problems."
She characterised Reform as a party "just about people who want drama and intrigue" and claimed the public was 'sick of all this political psychodrama'.
Fallout and Broader Reactions
The bitter exchange drew reactions from across the political spectrum. Former Tory Cabinet Minister Sir Robert Buckland delivered a stinging rebuke, telling TalkTV: "I'm sad that a former colleague of mine... has transmogrified from a Conservative into some sort of pound shop Enoch Powell. It really is an unedifying spectacle."
Senior Conservative Michael Gove, who has faced accusations of disloyalty in the past, warned Jenrick could pay a price for his treachery in the public's eyes. "The overall impression that will have been generated is that he was caught mid plot," Gove said.
Labour was quick to capitalise on the Conservative infighting. Party chair Anna Turley said: "In the words of his new party leader: Robert Jenrick is a fraud. He himself is one of the arsonists who inflicted chaos and decline on Britain while the Tories were in government." She dismissed his move as a recipe for more chaos.
Meanwhile, Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves dismissed a claim from Nigel Farage that a Labour MP would defect to Reform next week, advising that such boasts should be taken "with a pinch of salt."
What Happens Next?
The defection marks a significant moment in the realignment of the UK's right-wing politics. It deepens the schism between the established Conservative Party and the insurgent Reform UK, making any coordinated electoral strategy virtually impossible. The acrimonious public split sets the stage for a fierce battle for votes at the next election, with both parties now committed to fighting each other as much as they fight Labour.
