Former Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls launched a blistering attack on Conservative defector Robert Jenrick during a tense appearance on Good Morning Britain. The interview on 19 January 2026 saw Balls repeatedly challenge Jenrick's justification for joining Nigel Farage's Reform UK, accusing the MP of blatant personal ambition.
'Who are you trying to kid?': Balls' Scathing Question
At the heart of the confrontation was Jenrick's assertion that his dramatic political move was not driven by personal ambition but by the national interest. Balls expressed the incredulity felt by many, directly asking the question on the nation's mind.
"When you say 'I am putting personal ambition aside, and putting national interest first' everybody in Westminster and across the country was thinking 'Who are you trying to kid?'" Balls stated, capturing the widespread scepticism.
He dismissed Jenrick's defence as "ridiculous" and "absurd", arguing the MP's actions were transparently ambitious. "You want to be Chancellor or Prime Minister so you jumped to Reform and that's ambitious," Balls asserted, adding there was "nothing wrong" with chasing what he perceived as the winning side but that Jenrick should be honest about his motives.
Jenrick's Defence and the Backdrop of Bitterness
Jenrick, who was sacked from the Conservative frontbench by Prime Minister Kemi Badenoch, attempted to justify his defection. He claimed one does not "join Reform to be the leader of Reform" and insisted he left the Tories for the country's interests. However, his arguments failed to placate the combative interviewer.
The defection followed a reported plot by Jenrick to inflict maximum damage on Badenoch, a plan discovered after documents were left unattended by a team member. Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake suggested the move stemmed from bitterness after Jenrick was passed over for Home Secretary.
"Ever since then, he’s been focused on what's right for Rob, rather than what's right for the party and the country. It’s sad really," Hollinrake told The Mirror, recalling Jenrick giving him the silent treatment for weeks after he backed Badenoch in the leadership contest.
A Shaky Alliance and a 'Diminished Figure'
Jenrick's new political home in Reform UK represents an uneasy partnership. He appeared alongside leader Nigel Farage to lament a "broken" Britain, despite the pair having a history of public attacks. In August 2025, Farage told supporters Jenrick was a "fraud" and "not to be trusted," while Jenrick, as immigration minister in 2022, defended the government's record on asylum accommodation.
The reaction from Jenrick's former colleagues has been scathing. Former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland declared, "Robert Jenrick is now Reform’s problem," suggesting the defection changes the dynamics of the party. He concluded that Jenrick's "ambition has outweighed his judgement" and that he is now a "very diminished figure."
The explosive Good Morning Britain segment has cemented the narrative of Jenrick's defection as an act of personal political calculation, leaving his claims of national sacrifice in tatters under Ed Balls' forensic and furious questioning.
