Robert Jenrick, the former shadow justice secretary, has defected to Nigel Farage's Reform UK, declaring the Conservatives a "rotten" and "failed" party. The move came hours after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch sacked him, citing "irrefutable evidence" of his planned defection.
At a hastily arranged press conference with Farage in Westminster, Jenrick launched a blistering attack on his former colleagues. "The Conservative party in Westminster isn't sorry, it doesn't get it, it hasn't changed, it won't change, it can't change," he said. He accused both Labour and the Conservatives of "breaking Britain" through failed ideas.
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. He confirmed he would not call a by-election in his Newark constituency.
Farage described Jenrick as the "No 1 Tory we have all wanted to come over," and said after the 7 May local elections, Reform would reject further defections. Jenrick is expected to take on a senior role, potentially as economic spokesperson, though this could cause tensions with deputy leader Richard Tice and policy chief Zia Yusuf.
The defection deepens the right-wing political schism, as Badenoch struggles to hold the Conservatives together amid a string of high-profile moves to Reform. Jenrick singled out shadow chancellor Mel Stride and shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel for criticism, blaming them for welfare and migration failures.
