Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has sacked Robert Jenrick for plotting to defect “in secret”.
In a statement on X, the leader of the opposition announced she held “clear, irrefutable evidence” that he was preparing to leave the Tories “in a way designed to be as damaging as possible to his Shadow Cabinet colleagues and the wider Conservative Party”.
Jenrick has had his party membership suspended as a result.
“The British public are tired of political psychodrama and so am I,” Badenoch said in her statement.
“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.”
“Disloyalty and dishonesty undermine trust in politics. They’re also disrespectful to our party members, our councillors, MPs, and most of all, voters.
“The Conservatives suffered a heavy defeat in 2024. That was painful, but we are rebuilding, with strong principles, clear plans, and with a serious team united around a shared purpose.”
It is understood that Tory officials found that Jenrick had “left some stuff lying around”.
There have been weeks of speculation around whether Jenrick would defect to Reform.
Jenrick, who lost to Badenoch in the 2024 Tory leadership race, has reportedly held talks with Nigel Farage about a possible defection.
Farage said on Thursday that “of course” he had held conversations with him but no confirmation had been approved.
Reform’s policy chief Zia Yusuf accused Badenoch of beginning a “purge” of those who could challenge her in a future leadership contest, adding that James Cleverly could be the next frontbencher to be targeted.
There may also be mounting questions around the strength of Badenoch’s leadership in Tory ranks, with the party struggling to regain credibility with voters and gain a higher portion of the voter share in national polling.
Badenoch will hope that her decisive action on Jenrick will strike a note with voters and Tory members hoping to see more authoritative leadership in senior politicians.
The long line Jenrick could follow
The debacle sets the Tories up for an eventful few months in the run-up to local authority elections in May.
Should Jenrick defect to Reform, he would join former Tory MP Danny Kruger on those opposition benches, along with a host of other former Conservatives to have joined Farage’s party.
Other significant figures include Lee Anderson and former culture secretary Nadine Dorries.
Former Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi was the last major defector to Reform.
In a press conference this week, Zahawi said he joined up with Farage due to the party’s stance on tackling crime and stagnant growth in the UK economy.
However, the Tories hit back at Zahawi’s move by saying he had “begged” for a peerage.
“Given he was sacked for his dodgy tax affairs, this was never going to happen,” a source said,
“His defection tells you everything you need to know about Reform being a repository for disgraced politicians.”