In the tumultuous world of British politics, Robert Jenrick’s aspirations to be seen as “the new sheriff in town” were laid bare in a confidential memo that unexpectedly ended up in the hands of Tory leader Kemi Badenoch. This revelation came just before Jenrick’s chaotic switch to Reform UK.
Crafted as a private “media plan,” the document, attributed to the former Shadow Justice Secretary, was part of his strategy to join forces with Nigel Farage’s party. In it, Jenrick’s defection was touted as “the biggest defection story Reform has ever had (and likely ever will be).” The memo encouraged Jenrick to leverage his humor, described as one of his strongest assets, to make a compelling public impact.
Acquired by The Mail on Sunday, the plan went on to portray Jenrick as “the most popular Tory Shadow Cabinet member, leader-in-waiting if Kemi ever falls, and the most dynamic politician in the Conservative Party.” Scribbles believed to be in Jenrick’s own handwriting included remarks about Farage, calling him “the only person in British politics [to have] been consistent,” and deemed him the “obviously right person to lead the charge.”
The discovery of these notes, along with a draft of Jenrick’s resignation speech, was thanks to an insider within his office. This mole forwarded the documents to Badenoch, preempting Jenrick’s sensational move and resulting in his prompt dismissal and expulsion from the party on Thursday.
Jenrick was compelled to announce his formal defection in a joint press conference with Farage later that day, following closely on the heels of former Tory Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi’s switch to Reform UK just three days prior.
The clandestine manner in which Jenrick’s plans were unveiled has set off a storm of speculation within Westminster, as the political community buzzes with curiosity about the identity of the mysterious mole.
As recriminations continued across Westminster, sources in Reform claimed that a ‘clutch’ of further defections were expected from Ms Badenoch’s party, with former Home Secretary Suella Braverman said to be ‘very much in play’. Mr Farage has also claimed a ‘well-known Labour figure’ will defect to his party this week.
In addition, Tory MPs have complained that allies of Ms Badenoch were conducting a ‘witch hunt’ by quizzing them about their intentions, while one senior Tory source said Ms Badenoch could use Mr Jenrick’s departure to conduct a reshuffle of her Shadow Cabinet to ‘clear out the dead wood’.
Robert Jenrick wrote that he wanted to be styled as ‘the new sheriff in town’, according to a secret memo handed to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch’s hands before his defection this week
Nigel Farage welcomed Robert Jenrick into the fold on Thursday, hours after he had been summarily sacked by Kemi Badenoch for plotting a betrayal
One excerpt from Mr Jenrick’s note to self showed he wanted to be styled as ‘the new sheriff in town’
Mr Jenrick also suggested his response to any questions about jumping ship to save his career should be: ‘Last time I checked I was top of the brilliant Conservative Home Shadow Cabinet league table, so I seemed to be doing alright!’
The Mail on Sunday has been told that Mr Jenrick made his final decision to defect – after months of clandestine meetings with Mr Farage – following a phone conversation with Ms Badenoch earlier this month.
In it, they discussed his criticism of the UK’s granting of citizenship to extremist British-Egyptian dissident Alaa Abd El-Fattah – a decision made under the Conservatives.
A source close to Mr Jenrick said: ‘The problems with Kemi really came to a head over Al-Fattah. He had objected to the decision to allow a dangerous extremist into the country, but he was getting flak because it drew attention to the fact that Priti Patel [Shadow Foreign Secretary] and James Cleverly [Shadow Housing Secretary] were effectively complicit.
‘It came to a head when he told Kemi that people like Priti and James needed to be sacked if we were going to show the country that the party had changed.
‘Then, when he raised Al-Fattah, she went on a diatribe about Nazanin Zatgari Ratcliffe [the former British prisoner in Iran] being ungrateful for us getting her out of an Iranian jail.
‘She seemed to want to talk about anything other than confronting just how seriously the party needed to change.’
Mr Jenrick’s media plan was mocked by Tory MPs, with one describing it as an ‘Alan Partridge-style motivational speech in the mirror’.
The six-page memo also boasts that ‘we got the number of illegal arrivals down by a third and closed 100 hotels by the end of my year as immigration minister. Was it enough, was it heck’ and suggested his response to any questions about jumping ship to save his career should be: ‘Last time I checked I was top of the brilliant Conservative Home Shadow Cabinet league table, so I seemed to be doing alright!’
Mr Jenrick also called his move ‘the biggest defection story Reform has ever had (and likely ever will be)’, and urged him to ‘use humour – one of your best skills’
Other points in Mr Jenrick’s media plan included providing ‘clear, affirmative’ answers and making sure he showed his feelings and emotions with his answers
Mr Jenrick is advised to ‘listen out for questions where you can be funny and don’t be afraid to be self-effacing or have a laugh, sometimes even on policy-based questions’ and, if asked about whether he wants to replace Farage as leader, to say: ‘I thought I’d have got away from leadership questions!’
One particularly grandiloquent section reads: ‘You’re the biggest defection story Reform has ever had (and likely ever will be), the most popular Tory Shadow Cabinet member, leader-in-waiting if Kemi ever falls and the most dynamic politician in the Conservative Party.’
It is also suggested that he should ‘be demonstrative (in particular hands), slow down, use your vocal range and stress words. Passion and showing you care is key – but not to be mistaken for shouting or talking like an AI politician – have a conversation’.
Further advice is that he should ‘dismiss and shut down stupid questions, often with humour or rhetorical questions in response!’
He even prepares for a potential question about whether Mr Farage is ‘only good for a pint’ by saying: ‘Well Nigel is still good for a pint! That’s politics.’
A source close to the Tory leadership said: ‘Jenrick has been radicalised by his own personal ambition and his wife [the corporate lawyer Michal Berkner]. It’s quite astonishing to see what’s changed in him. I mean, it really is.
‘When we got hold of his speech we wondered if it was a Boris-style job [Mr Johnson famously wrote two different essays on the merits of both Brexit and Remain before the 2016 referendum] but it seemed obvious we had to hit him. Kemi was incredibly calm and decisive and clinical about it. But she wasn’t unpleasant about it.
‘She believes that there’s very little between them in terms of what they think. But he wants to be Prime Minister and leader of the party and she won the job – it’s as simple as that.’
During his defection speech, the former shadow Justice Secretary claimed Britain ‘is broken’
Mr Jenrick is pictured with his wife Michal Berkner during the Tory Party Conference in 2024. One Tory source claimed she had ‘radicalised’ the former leadership hopeful
The source added: ‘Some MPs have said to us that if she can get rid of Jenrick then she can get rid of some of the more s*** members of the Shadow Cabinet. And I think there is a bit of that.
‘But I think Nick Timothy was a very good appointment [as Jenrick’s replacement as Shadow Justice Secretary] because he’s clearly one of the best of the new intake.’
Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice said that a Labour defector to the party will ‘probably’ be revealed on Tuesday.
He said: ‘We are a turbo-charged fast car in eighth gear moving forwards at great pace gearing up for the May elections’.
The party is imposing a deadline for other defectors of the day of the local and devolved government elections, May 7.
A spokesman for Robert Jenrick said: ‘Nice try, but as the document makes clear Rob is just a member of Nigel’s team and wants to help get him in as prime minister. And it’s a team which unlike the Tories wants to change Britain rather than pretend it isn’t broken.’
A reform source added: ‘It could be worse, it could have called him the new standard bearer of the right and reminded him to breathe.’
