Robert Jenrick has defected to Reform UK, becoming the most senior Conservative to join Nigel Farage's party, after being sacked by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch for plotting against her. The former shadow justice secretary appeared alongside Farage at a press conference in Westminster on Thursday, denouncing the Conservatives as 'rotten' and 'failed'.
Jenrick, who stood against Badenoch in the Tory leadership contest, said 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 having 'broken Britain' and said he could not 'in good conscience stick with a party that has failed so badly'.
Badenoch removed the Conservative whip and suspended Jenrick's party membership earlier in the day, citing 'irrefutable evidence' of his planned defection. She appointed West Suffolk MP Nick Timothy as shadow justice secretary. Jenrick admitted he had resolved to leave the Tories by Thursday morning, though he said discussions with Reform had begun in September, facilitated by former Tory adviser Tim Montgomerie.
Jenrick singled out shadow chancellor Mel Stride and shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel for criticism, blaming Stride for the rising welfare bill and Patel for a surge in legal migration. He confirmed he would not call a by-election in his Newark constituency.
Farage called the defection the 'latest Christmas present I've ever had' and said that after the 7 May local elections, Reform would reject further Tory defectors. Jenrick is expected to take on an economic role within the party, though this could create tensions with deputy leader Richard Tice and policy head Zia Yusuf.
