In a dramatic political realignment, former Conservative minister Robert Jenrick has defected to Reform UK, delivering a blistering condemnation of the Tories as a "failed" party lacking the "stomach" for necessary change.
A Scathing Exit and a Frontbench Sacking
The seismic shift unfolded on Thursday 15 January 2026, after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch sacked Jenrick from her shadow cabinet. Badenoch stated she was presented with "clear, irrefutable evidence" that the Newark MP was secretly plotting a defection designed to inflict maximum damage on his colleagues.
Appearing alongside Reform UK leader Nigel Farage at a hastily rearranged Westminster press conference, Jenrick did not hold back. He declared he could no longer pretend the Conservative Party was capable of reform. "The bulk of the party don't get it," he asserted. "Don't have the stomach for the radical change this country needs."
While conceding his own role in past Tory governments, Jenrick claimed his efforts as a minister on issues like housing and immigration were "let down by Boris Johnson" and "let down by Rishi Sunak." He concluded, "I can't in good conscience stick with a party that's failed so badly, that isn't sorry and hasn't changed."
Farage Hails a 'Realignment' of the Centre-Right
Nigel Farage heralded the move as a pivotal moment, describing it as a "big day in the realignment of the genuine centre-right of this country." He predicted Jenrick's arrival would attract more voters and confirmed the defector would join Reform's "frontline team."
The announcement was not without awkwardness. A lengthy delay preceded Jenrick's appearance on stage, prompting Farage to quip, "Kemi hasn't called him and asked him back." The Conservatives later suggested Jenrick was late because he was rewriting his speech after they pre-emptively released extracts of his planned remarks to the media.
In a significant policy signal, Reform's head of policy, Zia Yusuf, indicated a cut-off point for Tory defections, naming May 7—the date of upcoming local elections—as a "deadline" after which there would be "no more Tories." Farage echoed this, warning the Tories would "cease to be a national political party" after that date.
Fallout and Reactions Across Westminster
The defection triggered swift political repercussions. Kemi Badenoch immediately removed the party whip from Jenrick and suspended his membership. She announced that Nick Timothy, the West Sussex MP and former adviser to Theresa May, would take Jenrick's former shadow cabinet role.
Opposition parties were quick to weigh in. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer questioned why it took Badenoch "so long" to act, while the Liberal Democrats' deputy leader, Daisy Cooper, accused Jenrick of having an "industrial-grade brass neck" to criticise the state of the nation given his own party's record.
Jenrick confirmed he would not resign to trigger a by-election in his Newark seat, branding both Labour and the Conservatives "rotten" and "not fit for purpose." He argued that both main parties had "broken Britain" and were dominated by individuals lacking the competence or backbone to fix it.
This high-profile defection marks one of the most significant shifts in British politics in recent years, intensifying pressure on the Conservative Party and bolstering Reform UK's claim to be the true voice of the right.
