Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has publicly denounced her former shadow cabinet colleague, Robert Jenrick, accusing him of being a liar who cannot be trusted, following his dramatic defection to Reform UK.
A Scathing Public Rebuke
In her first comments since Jenrick's departure, Badenoch launched a fierce attack on Friday, just 24 hours after sacking him from the shadow cabinet. She revealed she had learned of his plans to defect and removed him before he could announce the move himself.
Speaking to GB News, Badenoch did not mince her words. "It's quite clear that Robert Jenrick tells a lot of lies and you can't believe a word that comes out of his mouth," she stated. She detailed how Jenrick had allegedly lied to the chief whip on the morning of his defection, directly denying he was planning to leave when asked.
Badenoch also thanked Reform UK leader Nigel Farage for "doing my spring cleaning for me." She explained that party members had been informing her of Jenrick's actions to undermine the Conservatives, but she had continued to give him chances. "He's taking away my problems," she added.
Defection and Immediate Fallout
The political earthquake began on Thursday when Badenoch announced via a social media video that she was removing Jenrick from his role as shadow justice secretary. Five hours later, Jenrick held his own press conference in Westminster to confirm his move.
In his announcement, the former minister accused the Conservative Party of having "broken Britain" and criticised MPs he had been working alongside just hours earlier. On Friday, he penned an article for the Telegraph urging other right-wingers to join him in Reform, writing: "The fact is the Tory party is so compromised it cannot speak for the country and oppose Labour's madness."
While Reform suggests it expects further defections from both the Conservatives and at least one Labour figure, one of Jenrick's closest Tory allies ruled out following him. Nick Timothy, who has now taken over the shadow justice secretary role, told Sky News that voters were "absolutely sick of the backbiting, the backstabbing."
Political Reactions and Ramifications
The fallout has sparked commentary across the political spectrum. Michael Gove, the peer and former cabinet minister, argued the events had actually strengthened Badenoch's position while weakening Reform's. He quipped on BBC Radio 4's Today programme that after also gaining Nadhim Zahawi this week, Reform risked looking "rather more like Slytherin house" than a fresh political force.
Badenoch herself, speaking to reporters in Scotland, insisted her team was now "even more united" and stronger, asserting that "Robert Jenrick was not a team player."
Meanwhile, Labour has brushed off Nigel Farage's hints of an incoming defection from their ranks next week. Chancellor Rachel Reeves told ITV Tyne Tees: "Nigel Farage says a lot of things and I think we should all take those with a pinch of salt." A Labour source was more dismissive, questioning whether Farage had ever successfully previewed a significant defector in advance.
