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Former Conservative justice secretary Robert Jenrick Has been fired Kemi Badenoch has been criticized for “secretly plotting to defect”, sparking speculation he is about to turn to reform Britain.
Mr Jenrick’s leadership ambitions have since fueled speculation was defeated in the bidding The party took power in 2024 and has repeatedly exceeded shadow cabinet boundaries.
Mrs Badenock said on X: “I have sacked Robert Jenrick from the shadow cabinet, lifted the whip and suspended his party membership with immediate effect.
“I have been given clear and irrefutable evidence that he is secretly plotting to defect, with the aim of doing as much damage as possible to his shadow cabinet colleagues and the wider Conservative Party.”
In response, reform leader Nigel Farage told reporters Ms Badenock had “added two and two, making it five”. He added: “I can honestly confirm, looking you in the eye, that I will not be unmasking Robert Jenrick at 4.30pm today.”
Mr Farage was speaking at a press conference ahead of the Scottish election, where he appointed former Conservative minister Malcolm Offford, Defected to join the party last monthbecoming the party’s new Scottish leader.
If Mr Jenrick defectes to the reform side, he will join the likes of Nadhim Zahavi, who Lee AndersonNadine Dorries and Danny Kruger are all former Conservative MPs who have switched to the party in the past two years.
Here are other Conservatives who defected to Reform Britain:
Lee Anderson
Mr Anderson was elected as the Conservative MP for Ashfield in 2019; he defected to Reform England in March 2024 and has since become chief whip. He retained his seat as a Reform MP in the 2024 general election.
Jonathan Gliss
In December, Mr Gulis announced he had defected to Reform Britain – more than a year after admitting he had been unable to find permanent work since losing his Stoke-on-Trent Conservative MP seat at the 2024 general election. He served as a Conservative MP from 2019 to 2024 and briefly served as party deputy chairman from March 2024.
Nadine Dorris
After 25 years as a Conservative Party member, Ms Dorries announced in September last year that she would set out to reform Britain. The former politician served as Mid Bedfordshire MP from 2005 to 2023 and served as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport under Boris Johnson from 2021 to 2022.
david jones
Last summer, former cabinet minister and MP Clwyd West defected to Farage’s party after more than 50 years as a Conservative. He represented the Clwyd West constituency from 2005 to 2024. In his parting statement, Mr Jones said: “Today Reform UK is the party that best represents my views and, I believe, those of many others who have become disillusioned with the two established major parties.”
Ms Andrew served as the Conservative MP for Morley and Outwood from 2015 to May 2024, leaving the party in November of the same year to join the Reform Party of England. Subsequently, she announced her participation in the Reform Party’s newly established Greater Lincolnshire mayoral election in 2025 last year and joined the party’s decision-making committee.
Danny Kruger
Mr Kruger, an East Wiltshire MP who has served as Devizes since 2019, was one of the highest-profile defectors from Reform Britain last September. He told a news conference: “This is my sad conclusion that the Conservative Party is finished, finished as a national party, finished as the main opposition on the left.”
Lucy Allen
Ms Allen, who served as Telford MP from 2015 to 2024, resigned at the last general election and was suspended for publicly supporting the Reform UK candidate in the same constituency she previously represented.
sir jack berry
Sir Jack defected to the Reform Party in July last year after serving as MP for Rossendale and Darwen from 2010 to 2024. As a Conservative MP, he briefly served as Conservative Party chairman in 2022 and served as Secretary of State for Northern Powerhouse and Local Development under Theresa May and Boris Johnson from 2017 to 2020.
Anne Marie Morris
Last year, Ms Morris joined Reform UK to lead their social care policy. Prior to that, she served as Conservative MP for Newton Abbott from 2010 to 2024. During her 14-year term, she lost the party whip twice, for nine months between July and December 2017, and then again between January and May 2022.
Marco Longhi
Mr Longhi defected from the Conservative Party to the UK Reform Party in January last year and is currently chairman of Turning Point UK. The former Conservative MP for Dudley North has been a member of the Conservative Party since 1999.
Ross Thomson
Mr Thomson served as MP for Aberdeen South from 2017 to 2019 and is a key supporter of Boris Johnson. In June last year, he announced his defection from the British reformists, saying that “only reformists have the courage and answers to the problems facing Scotland and the United Kingdom.”
Chris Green
Mr Green was one of the latest Conservatives to defect to the Reform Party in December after serving as Bolton West MP from 2015 to 2024.
Leah Nisi
Ms Nichy defected from the Conservatives to Reform in December after serving as Greater Grimsby MP from 2019 to 2024. She served as Liz Truss’s assistant government whip during her brief tenure as Prime Minister in 2022.
Ben Bradley
The former Mansfield MP and leader of Nottinghamshire County Council announced his defection to the Reform Party in December, saying trust in the Conservatives was “gone” and “will not come back”. He has been appointed as head of action to reform local government and will focus on reducing council spending.
Nadine Zahavi
The former Tory chancellor becomes the most high-profile politician yet Turn to reform From the Conservatives in early January. Zahavi, who has held ministerial roles under Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, said the UK “really needs Nigel Farage as prime minister”. However, some Tory sources said Zahavi jumped ship after Ms Badenock rejected a request for a peerage, a suggestion he dismissed.
Robert Jenrick?
Speculation has been rife that the former Tory shadow justice secretary will defect to the Reform Party after being sacked by Ms Badnock, who accused him of secretly conspiring to defect to another party. It was unclear which party she was referring to; however, Mr Farage said he had spoken to Mr Jenrick. If Mr Jenrick does defect to the Reform faction, it would be arguably one of the biggest gains for the party as it tries to make its position clear to voters ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections.
