Kemi Badenoch took decisive action today to consolidate her leadership of the Conservative Party by dismissing Robert Jenrick, her former rival, over allegations of his intent to switch allegiances.
In a pivotal development that could influence the trajectory of British politics, Badenoch declared she had obtained ‘irrefutable evidence’ indicating that the shadow justice secretary was planning to undermine her leadership.
Jenrick allegedly left behind a nearly finalized resignation speech and a ‘media plan,’ which were reportedly found in a place where they could easily be discovered. Despite this, when confronted by Tory chief whip Rebecca Harris this morning, Jenrick insisted on his innocence.
During a visit to Scotland, Nigel Farage was questioned about the unfolding situation.
He refuted claims that he intended to announce Jenrick as a defector at a press conference in London later today, accusing Badenoch of acting out of ‘panic.’
Farage did, however, acknowledge having discussions with Jenrick, stating, “I’ll give him a call this afternoon… I might even buy him a pint, you never know.”
Mrs Badenoch’s allies told the Daily Mail they were hopeful the decisive move would stem the issues, voicing confidence that Mr Jenrick’s close allies would not follow him out of the door.
Dropping the bombshell, Mrs Badenoch said: ‘I have sacked Robert Jenrick from the Shadow Cabinet, removed the whip and suspended his party membership with immediate effect.
‘I was presented with clear, irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect in a way designed to be as damaging as possible to his Shadow Cabinet colleagues and the wider Conservative Party.
‘The British public are tired of political psychodrama and so am I. They saw too much of it in the last government, they’re seeing too much of it in THIS government. I will not repeat those mistakes.’
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said she has sacked shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick due to ‘irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect’ from the party
Nigel Farage seemed to be alerted to the breaking news by a press officer as he was unveiling the party’s new leader in Scotland
Shadow cabinet ministers rallied round Mrs Badenoch after her bold move
Former Cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke said Mrs Badenoch was entitled to act against ‘plotting’
The Reform chief has already unveiled one high-profile Tory recruit this week, with former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi jumping ship.
Mr Jenrick is said to have raised suspicions by consorting with senior Reform figures, including having dinner with Nigel Farage himself last month.
Mr Jenrick was defeated by Mrs Badenoch for the Tories’ top job in November 2024.
However, he has constantly fuelled speculation about his ambitions by roving well beyond his justice portfolio.
There have been persistent rumours linking him with a move to Reform, but he has previously played the idea down.
On December 4 Mr Jenrick said: ‘It wasn’t very long ago that I was running to be leader of the Conservative Party so I’m not going anywhere.’
Some big players in Reform have also suggested they would not want him, while Mr Farage previously insisted he ‘always’ thought Mr Jenrick was a ‘fraud’.
At a press conference in Scotland this morning Mr Farage was coy about how advanced his talks with Mr Jenrick has been.
‘I’m very surprised that this news is broken,’ he said.
Asked if he had been speaking to Mr Jenrick, the Reform leader said: ‘I never reveal private conversations of anybody, which is why when people like Malcolm (Offord) came to me to talk, and he was a frontbencher, nothing ever leaked.
‘I’m going to say that I’ve had conversations with a number of very senior Conservatives over the course of the last week, over the course of the last month.’
Pressed again about whether he had spoken to the now ex-shadow justice secretary, Mr Farage said: ‘Of course I’ve talked to Robert Jenrick. Was I on the verge of signing a document with him? No. But have we had conversations? Yes.’
Mr Farage added: ‘I think virtually every Conservative is considering leaving the Conservatives, yes.’
Asked if this included Mr Jenrick, he replied: ‘I think that’s been in his mind, yes. I’ve little doubt it’s been in his mind.’
A Tory source said of Mr Jenrick: ‘We have had lots of reports coming in that he was meeting with Reform. He went for dinner with Nigel Farage last month, he had been speaking to people within Westminster about the possibility of a defection.
‘His team has spoken to various people, including journalists, about defection.
‘Kemi doesn’t take decisions lightly, she thinks about these things, she analyses things properly. But the evidence was just totally irrefutable that this was going to be done to inflict maximum pain on the party.’
Mr Farage previously insisted he ‘always’ thought Mr Jenrick was a ‘fraud’
Mr Jenrick was defeated by Mrs Badenoch for the Tories’ top job in November 2024
