The Conservative Party has been rocked by a dramatic defection and a subsequent leak, exposing internal divisions and strategic manoeuvring on the right of British politics. Robert Jenrick, the MP for Newark, was dismissed as shadow justice secretary and suspended from the party by leader Kemi Badenoch on Thursday. This pre-emptive strike came as a draft of his resignation speech and a detailed media plan for his defection to Reform UK were passed to her team.
The Leaked Plan and a 'New Sheriff'
According to reports in The Mail on Sunday and The Sunday Times, the leaked document prepared for Mr Jenrick's move to Nigel Farage's party is remarkably bold in its framing. It reportedly refers to the MP as "the new sheriff in town" and brands his potential switch as "the biggest defection story Reform has ever had". The plan's reference to the recent defection of former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi indicates it was drafted in the days leading up to his suspension.
Mr Jenrick appears to have personally annotated the document, underlining the phrase "here to support Nigel". However, a source close to the MP denied his involvement in drafting it. A spokesman for Mr Jenrick stated: "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."
Political Attacks and Accusations of 'Pastiche'
Since his suspension, Mr Jenrick has intensified his criticism of his former colleagues. He told The Sun on Sunday that the Conservatives had "almost become the party of posh people", claiming they were out of touch with voters in areas like Wolverhampton and North Nottinghamshire. He framed the new political divide as "Reform’s Workers’ Party versus the Tory Posh Party".
In a sharp retort, Kemi Badenoch dismissed her former frontbencher as a right-wing "pastiche". Speaking to 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." She has firmly ruled out any future electoral pact with Reform.
Reform's Deadline and the Battle for the Right
The fallout has set the stage for a fierce battle for voters on the political right. While Mr Jenrick claims his move is about "uniting the right", Mrs Badenoch countered that the right is "not a single, homogenous bloc". She warned that many traditional Conservatives actively dislike Reform and that an alliance could lose as many voters as it gains.
Meanwhile, Reform has set a clear deadline for further defections. The party announced that May 7—the date of crucial local elections—will be a cut-off point for admitting Conservative defectors. Nigel Farage described it as "deadline day" and wrote in The Telegraph that the party would be selective, only accepting those "genuinely committed to Reform’s cause". He emphasised Reform would "not ever" become the "Conservative Party 2.0".
When asked about being on high alert for more MPs defecting before this date, Mrs Badenoch told the Press Association it was a distraction. "Perhaps they’re worried that they’re not going to get anyone any more," she suggested, adding that her focus remained on the country's serious issues rather than Reform's obsession with "defections and themselves and polls".
She signalled a continued hard line against disloyalty within her ranks, telling broadcasters: "I’m a woman of my word... But if there is any sort of behaviour that shows a lack of integrity, that shows a lack of loyalty... that’s not something that I will be tolerating in my Conservative Party." The political schism, now laid bare by the leaked documents, promises to define the battle lines in the run-up to the next general election.
