Robert Jenrick, the former shadow justice secretary, has defected to Nigel Farage's Reform UK, branding the Conservative Party as “rotten” and “failed”. The move comes hours after he was sacked by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch for allegedly plotting against her.
Jenrick, who lost to Badenoch in the Conservative leadership contest, told a press conference alongside Farage that the party “isn't sorry, it doesn't get it, it hasn't changed, it won't change, it can't change”. He accused both Labour and the Conservatives of breaking Britain.
Badenoch removed the whip and suspended Jenrick's party membership after what she called “irrefutable evidence” of his planned defection. She appointed Nick Timothy as shadow justice secretary. Jenrick admitted he had already decided to leave the Tories before his sacking.
Farage described the defection as the “latest Christmas present”, adding that after local elections in May, Reform would reject further Tory defectors. Jenrick is expected to take on an economic role, though his appointment may cause tensions with senior Reform figures Richard Tice and Zia Yusuf.
