Robert Jenrick has given his first interview since defecting from the Conservative Party to Reform UK, insisting the move will help “unite the right” and oust the Labour government. Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, the former shadow justice secretary said he hoped his decision would rally right-wing voters behind Reform leader Nigel Farage.
Jenrick said he had concluded over the past year that the Conservatives had not changed since the election and that the “arsonists” who damaged the party’s reputation were still in charge. He urged Conservative voters to back Reform to avoid a Labour government, possibly in coalition with the Greens and Liberal Democrats.
The defection has drawn sharp criticism from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who told GB News that Nigel Farage was “doing my spring cleaning for me” and that Jenrick was “not a team player”. Badenoch also accused Jenrick of telling “a lot of lies”, a claim he denied.
Labour and Liberal Democrat leaders also attacked Jenrick. Labour chairwoman Anna Turley cited Nigel Farage’s own past description of Jenrick as a “fraud”, while Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said Jenrick “helped wreck the NHS” during his time as a health minister.
