Robert Jenrick latest: Farage unveils ex-Tory as new Reform defector after shock sacking by Badenoch – UK Times

After he criticised Priti Patel, the Tories have pointed out a tweet he posted in 2024.

In it he said: “My friend Priti Patel is a relentless champion for Conservatism whose experience will be invaluable as we rebuild.”

Analysis by Kate Devlin, Whitehall Editor:

Mr Jenrick took swipes at a series of senior Tories as he left the party he joined at 16.

Those name-checked include Priti Patel, Mel Stride and the leader Kemi Badenoch.

On leaving the Tories for Reform: “I can’t kid myself any more – the bulk of the party has not changed and they won’t.”

A well known Labour figure is set to join Reform UK next week, Nigel Farage has claimed.

Denying only Conservatives were defecting, he said: “The reality is that we are replacing the Conservative Party as the opposition to the Labour government.”

Analysis by Kate Devlin, Whitehall Editor:

Robert Jenrick took swipes at a series of senior Tories as he left the party he joined at 16.

Those name-checked include Priti Patel, Mel Stride and the leader Kemi Badenoch.

On leaving the Tories for Reform: “I can’t kid myself any more – the bulk of the party has not changed and they won’t.”

Mr Jenrick has praised Reform UK as an “incredible movement”.

“People will come from outside of politics, people who’ve done great things in business, in our schools, in our hospitals, our prisons, our armed forces, people the two political parties have locked out and ignored for far too long.

“For all those reasons today, I’m proud to join the more than 270,000 people who are members of Reform UK to back Nigel, to join this incredible movement, a national movement that will pull Britain’s talents, experience and expertise, put previous differences to one side and deliver the real change we need turn our country around.”

Mr Jenrick has revealed he has been in talks with Reform UK for months, having contacted the party in September.

“I just knew the responsible thing to do, the honest thing to do, for me, was to explore all options,” he said.

Mr Jenrick has laid into his former party, claiming the “cracks, the divisions, the delusions” are still in the Tories.

He said he respected Kemi Badenoch, but “the party hasn’t changed, and it won’t. The bulk of the party don’t get it”.

“They don’t have the stomach for the radical change that Britain needs. In opposition, it’s easy to paper over these cracks, but the divisions, the delusions, are still there,” he said.

“And if we don’t get the next government right, Britain will likely slip beyond the point of repair.”

Mr Jenrick has claimed the Conservatives won’t and can’t change, and said he did not trust the party on immigration.

“At a recent shadow cabinet debate, a conversation broke out. The question was put to the group, is Britain broken? I said, instinctively, it’s broken. Almost everyone said it’s not broken,” he said.

“And we were told that is the party line. A few, a few had a third position. It is broken, but we can’t say so, because the Conservative Party broke it.

“If they won’t admit publicly to you the British people, what they broke? What possible faith can you have in them to fix it?

“The Conservative Party in Westminster isn’t sorry. It doesn’t get it. It hasn’t changed. It won’t change. It can’t change.”

Mr Jenrick claimed the shadow cabinet knew its plan to stop the boats crossing the Channel would not work.

“I’ll never forget attending a Cabinet meeting in Downing Street where a plan to stop the votes was signed off, but everyone, to a man and a woman around that table knew in their hearts it was not going to work. Some even joked about it,” he said.

“I left Downing Street. That night, resolved to resign from the cabinet and I’ve never forgotten that.”