In a significant blow to the Conservative Party, former shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has crossed the floor to join Nigel Farage's Reform UK. His defection on Thursday, 15 January 2026, marks one of the most high-profile departures from the Tories in recent years, following a growing trend of senior figures abandoning the party.
Senior Tories Abandon Ship for Reform UK
Robert Jenrick, the MP for Newark, launched a scathing attack on his former party as he announced his move at a Westminster press conference. Having been a Conservative member for nearly three decades and serving as immigration minister under Rishi Sunak, Jenrick declared the party lacked the "stomach for the radical change this country needs". He stated bluntly: "I can't kid myself any more. The (Conservative) party hasn't changed and it won't."
Jenrick's defection is not an isolated incident. It forms part of a steady stream of Conservative politicians who have migrated to Reform UK, criticising their former party for drift, a lack of bold policies, and failing to represent their constituents' views.
Key Defectors and Their Reasons
The list of defectors includes several prominent names, each citing disillusionment with the Conservative direction.
Nadhim Zahawi, the former chancellor who led the vaccine rollout, joined Reform UK on Monday, 12 January. After being sacked as party chairman in 2023 over a tax affairs scandal, he claimed Britain was "drinking at the last chance saloon" and expressed strong support for Nigel Farage as prime minister.
Danny Kruger made history in September as the first sitting Conservative MP to defect to Reform UK. The East Wiltshire MP, then on Kemi Badenoch's shadow front bench, condemned the Tories as "over", citing a year of "stasis and drift" and a loss of core voters.
In a dramatic move, Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary, declared the Conservative Party "dead" when she defected in September. The staunch Boris Johnson loyalist said the decision took her "12 agonising months" to make after more than 30 years of service.
From Lords to Mayors: The Broad Reach of Defections
The shift to Reform UK extends beyond the House of Commons. In December, Malcolm Offord became the party's first defector in the House of Lords. He has since quit the upper chamber to lead Reform UK in Scotland, aiming to contest all 73 constituencies in the forthcoming Holyrood elections.
Lee Anderson provided Reform UK with its first MP after losing the Conservative whip in February 2024 over remarks about London Mayor Sadiq Khan. The Ashfield MP criticised the Tories for stifling free speech, a sentiment echoed by Dame Andrea Jenkyns, the former MP and now Reform UK mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, who defected in November 2024 stating the Tory party had "become tired".
Implications for the Political Landscape
This series of defections signals a profound fragmentation on the British right. The consistent theme from those leaving is a belief that the Conservative Party has abandoned its principles and is incapable of delivering the transformative policies they argue the country requires. With figures like Jenrick and Zahawi bringing ministerial experience, Reform UK is bolstering its credibility as a serious political force, directly challenging the Tories for their voter base. The coming months will reveal whether this talent drain weakens the Conservatives irreparably or galvanises a party fightback.
