Nigel Farage is set to appoint Robert Jenrick as Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman, a move that reportedly faces opposition from senior party figures. The former Conservative MP, who defected to Reform in January, will be unveiled during a press conference on Tuesday alongside other senior appointments.
According to The Times, Mr Farage’s selection is intended to demonstrate that Reform is preparing for government. Deputy leader Richard Tice and head of policy Zia Yusuf are said to have opposed Mr Jenrick’s appointment. Mr Farage will also name Mr Yusuf as home affairs spokesman, former Tory chancellor Nadhim Zahawi as foreign policy spokesman, and Mr Tice as business and energy spokesman, with a brief to abandon net zero.
Speaking at a rally in Romford on Monday, Mr Farage said: “I think the moment to properly move away from the potential criticism that we’re a one-man band has been there now for a few weeks, and that’s why I’m doing [these appointments].” He added that he was relieved others were taking on key portfolios.
The appointments come as Mr Farage seeks to counter criticism about the party’s lack of ministerial experience. Mr Jenrick was sacked from Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet last month after she claimed to have “irrefutable evidence” he was planning to defect. Hours later, he announced his move to Reform alongside Mr Farage.
Mr Jenrick, MP for Newark since 2014, served as exchequer secretary under Theresa May and later as housing secretary and immigration secretary. On defecting, he said the Tories had “betrayed its voters and members” and that he could not “in good conscience stick with a party that’s failed so badly”.
