Robert Jenrick sacked latest: Kemi Badenoch kicks out Tory rival for ‘secret plot to defect’ to Reform – UK Times

Kemi Badenoch has sacked Robert Jenrick for allegedly secretly plotting to defect.

The Conservative Party came to this conclusion after compiling “irrefutable” evidence that he was planning the move.

Evidence included a dinner between Mr Jenrick and Nigel Farage in December, according to The Telegraph.

“We’d known for a while that he was starting to get closer to Reform,” a senior party source told the paper.

“He had dinner with Nigel last month, he’d discussed defecting with allies and that had got back to CCHQ”.

Nigel Farage said he will call Robert Jenrick on Thursday afternoon after Kemi Badenoch sacked him from her front bench and suspended his Tory membership.

“I’ll give him a ring this afternoon,” the Reform UK leader told reporters at a press conference in Edinburgh.

He added: “I might even buy him a pint.”

As we’ve been reporting, the news that Robert Jenrick has been sacked for plotting to defect came at the same time Nigel Farage began a press conference in Fife.

The event was supposed to focus on the party unveiling its leader for Scotland, but questions are being dominated by the breaking news.

Asked whether he had planned to announce Mr Jenrick’s defection at another planned press conference today, the Reform UK leader told reporters: “I can confirm, hand on heart, honestly, look you in the eye, I was not going to be unveiling Robert Jenrick at 4.30pm this afternoon.”

Kemi Badenoch said she was presented with “clear, irrefutable evidence” that Robert Jenrick was “plotting in secret” to defect from the Conservative Party.

In a video uploaded to X, the Tory leader said she had evidence he was seeking to defect in “a way designed to be as damaging as possible to his Shadow Cabinet colleagues and the wider Conservative Party”.

Reacting to Kemi Badenoch’s announcement she has sacked Robert Jenrick from her front bench, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “I’m very surprised that this news is broken.”

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 was asked again if Mr Jenrick had been considering leaving the Tories for Reform, and said: “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.”

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.

Alongside it, she tweeted : “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. “