Robert Jenrick has been unveiled as Reform UK's newest MP, launching a blistering attack on both Labour and the Conservatives over mass migration. The former shadow justice secretary, who defected from the Tories, accused both parties of 'breaking Britain' and failing to address rising migration, court backlogs, overflowing prisons, and a diminished army.
Speaking alongside Reform leader Nigel Farage at a Westminster press conference, Jenrick said: 'Those that came before us built a great country, the greatest country in the world. But we are set to lose it.' He added: 'Both Labour and the Conservatives broke Britain, and both are now dominated by those without the competence or the backbone needed to fix it.'
Jenrick's defection follows his expulsion from the Conservative Party by leader Kemi Badenoch, who cited 'irrefutable evidence' of his intention to defect. There was a lengthy delay between Farage's announcement and Jenrick's arrival on stage, during which Farage joked: 'He hasn't changed his mind. Kemi hasn't called him and asked him back.'
Jenrick is the eighth Conservative MP to switch to Reform UK since 2024. Others include Lee Anderson, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, Sir Jake Berry, Danny Kruger, Paul Scully, Jonathan Gullis, and Nadhim Zahawi. The party has gained momentum as disaffected Tories abandon the party over its direction.
