The defection of former Conservative minister Robert Jenrick to Nigel Farage's Reform UK has triggered a deeply mixed and at times hostile reaction from the party's own grassroots members, exposing significant internal divisions.
‘Enough Already’: Grassroots Fury Over Tory Influx
While the party leadership officially celebrated the coup of securing one of the Tory party's most prominent right-wingers, the rank-and-file response on private forums was far more complicated. On one of the largest private Reform Facebook groups, member James Scott captured a prevalent mood of anger, writing: “Enough already! Reform uk please take note, you are going to lose members and voters if you don’t cap this craziness … We don’t want a Tory party Pt II.”
This sentiment was echoed by others. Following Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch's announcement that she was sacking Jenrick from the frontbench and removing the party whip for "plotting", another Reform member declared they would leave the party immediately if Jenrick joined. The defection took many by surprise, not least because members were accustomed to hearing Farage himself ridicule the former minister as "Robert Generic".
A Welcome from Some Quarters
Despite the vocal opposition, many within Reform's membership appeared to welcome the acquisition. On public and private forums, supporters hailed Jenrick as a "seasoned veteran of parliament" and a "potential great future leader". Paul Rayner, posting on a public pro-Farage group, called it "Fantastic news!!", highlighting the growing roster of talent within the party.
Among Reform's elected local representatives, the reaction was cautious but generally positive. Rory Green, a Reform councillor on Nottinghamshire county council – an authority the party controls and where Jenrick is an MP – noted the defector's experience as a barrister and former cabinet minister was a "positive". A colleague, Dawn Justice, said Jenrick was "well liked". Maxwell Harrison, a senior figure on Reform's Kent county council, proclaimed the move a "massive moment in our movement’s history".
Internal Tensions and Unresolved Grudges
Nigel Farage may face a challenge in smoothing over internal party tensions beyond the grassroots. A notable absence from the event unveiling Jenrick at Reform HQ was Zia Yusuf, the party's head of policy. The relationship between Yusuf and Jenrick is known to be particularly fraught.
Last year, Jenrick called for Yusuf to be given "the boot" from Reform after accusing him of deliberately liking a social media post from an anonymous account that attacked Jenrick for having a Jewish wife and family. Yusuf claimed the 'like' was applied "accidentally" by a member of his team. At the unveiling, Farage half-joked that Yusuf was resentful towards former Tory ministers, adding, "I’m teaching him forgiveness."
Yusuf had already signalled awareness of grassroots discontent a month prior, pledging on social media that Reform members would be prioritised for candidate selection over "failed former Tory MPs".
As Jenrick and Farage batted away journalists' questions about their past criticisms of one another, the Reform leader's immediate task is clear: unifying a party where the arrival of its most senior Tory recruit yet has laid bare a significant rift between its leadership's strategy and the desires of a portion of its base.
