Robert Jenrick, the former shadow justice secretary, has defected to Nigel Farage's Reform UK, dealing a significant blow to the Conservative Party. Jenrick, who was sacked by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch earlier on Thursday for allegedly plotting to defect, appeared alongside Farage at a press conference in Westminster, where he denounced the Conservatives as a 'rotten' and 'failed' party.
Jenrick, who stood against Badenoch in the Tory leadership contest, said the Conservative 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 breaking Britain, stating, 'Both parties are committed to a set of ideas that have failed Britain.'
Badenoch removed the whip from Jenrick and suspended his party membership after claiming to have found 'irrefutable evidence' of his planned defection. She appointed Nick Timothy, the MP for West Suffolk, as the new shadow justice secretary. Jenrick admitted he had resolved to leave the Tories by the morning of his sacking, 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, accusing Stride of overseeing an explosion in the welfare bill and Patel of allowing a surge in legal migration. He confirmed he would not call a by-election in his Newark constituency.
Farage described the defection as the 'latest Christmas present I've ever had', but noted that after the local elections on 7 May, Reform would reject further Tory defectors. Jenrick is expected to take on a role within Reform, potentially as economic spokesperson, though this could cause tensions with deputy leader Richard Tice and policy head Zia Yusuf.
