STORY
Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Opposition, has sacked Robert Jenrick from the shadow cabinet and suspended his party membership. The move follows what party sources describe as irrefutable evidence that the shadow justice secretary was preparing to defect to Reform UK.
The decision was made after a “near final” draft of a resignation speech was reportedly discovered by party staff. Rumours of a move had been circulating for weeks following reports that Jenrick had met with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in December. Conservative HQ allegedly became convinced of the plot when Jenrick cancelled a high-profile speaking engagement scheduled for this weekend.
Speaking from a press conference in Scotland, Nigel Farage confirmed that he has been in talks with several senior Conservative figures including Jenrick. While Farage denied that an official unveiling was planned for today, he suggested that Badenoch may have “panicked” in an attempt to get ahead of the story. He noted that while he viewed Jenrick as part of the previous Conservative government’s failures, he respected the MP’s earlier decision to resign from Rishi Sunak’s cabinet over immigration policy.
The sacking marks a significant escalation in the internal conflict within the Conservative Party. Badenoch was said to be particularly furious that Jenrick attended a shadow cabinet away day last week and a formal meeting this Tuesday, where he reportedly took detailed notes on the party’s upcoming electoral strategy while allegedly planning his exit.
With the whip now removed, Jenrick will sit as an independent MP for Newark unless he formalises a move to Reform UK. This latest turmoil comes just days after the defection of former party chairman Nadhim Zahawi, heightening fears of a wider exodus of right-wing MPs as the party struggles to maintain unity ahead of the upcoming local elections.