A leaked media strategy document has revealed that former Conservative minister Robert Jenrick was poised to defect to Reform UK, with the plan branding him as 'the new sheriff in town' and the party's 'biggest defection story' ever. The revelation led to his immediate dismissal from the Tory frontbench by leader Kemi Badenoch.
The Leaked Strategy and Swift Dismissal
The document, reported by the Mail on Sunday and the Sunday Times, was prepared in the days following fellow former Tory Nadhim Zahawi's defection to Reform on Monday. It positioned Jenrick's potential move as a seismic event for Nigel Farage's party. The plan reportedly contained the underlined phrase 'here to support Nigel', signalling Jenrick's commitment to helping Farage become prime minister.
Upon learning of the draft resignation speech and accompanying memo, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch took pre-emptive action. On Thursday, she fired Jenrick from his role as shadow justice secretary and suspended him from the parliamentary party, accusing him of plotting to defect.
War of Words Erupts Between Jenrick and Badenoch
In the aftermath, a spokesperson for Robert Jenrick confirmed his new allegiance, stating: 'As the document makes clear, Rob is just a member of Nigel’s team and wants to help get him in as prime minister. And it’s a team which, unlike the Tories, wants to change Britain rather than pretend it isn’t broken.'
Jenrick has since intensified his criticism of his former party, telling the Sun on Sunday that the Conservatives had 'almost become the party of posh people' who were out of touch with voters in areas like his Newark constituency and his hometown of Wolverhampton. He framed the political divide as 'Reform’s workers’ party versus the Tory posh party'.
Kemi Badenoch hit back, dismissing her former colleague as a right-wing 'pastiche'. In an interview with the Telegraph, she said: 'I know what I believe. I know what I stand for. Robert has a pastiche of what he thinks the right wing is, and then he performs towards it. It’s always been about his personal ambition.'
Reform's Deadline and Badenoch's Rebuke of a 'United Right'
While Jenrick has argued his move is about 'uniting the right', Badenoch firmly rejected this notion and any future electoral pact with Reform. She argued the right is 'not a single, homogenous bloc' and that many traditional Conservatives actively dislike Reform. 'Trying to 'unite' risks losing just as many voters as it gains,' she warned, adding that Reform was interested in 'disruption' rather than fixing the country.
Meanwhile, Reform UK has set a cut-off point for admitting Conservative defectors. Nigel Farage declared that 7 May – the date of crucial local elections – would be a 'deadline day' for MPs and councillors to switch sides. 'It is make your mind up time, and if that sounds like an ultimatum, it is,' he wrote in the Telegraph.
When asked about being on high alert for further defections before this deadline, Badenoch suggested the deadline itself indicated Reform's worries about a drying up of support. She concluded: 'To be honest, this is a distraction from the serious things that are happening in the country right now. Reform love talking about defections and themselves and polls. We’re talking about the country and what matters to you.'
