Robert Jenrick sacked: Kemi Badenoch kicks MP out of Tories for 'plotting in secret to defect'
Kemi Badenoch has said she has sacked Robert Jenrick and kicked him out of the party due to “irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect in a way designed to be as damaging as possible” to his Conservative colleagues.
The Conservative leader did not specify which party Mr Jenrick was planning to switch to, but Reform UK’s Nigel Farage said he has “of course” had conversations with the senior Tory.
Mr Jenrick has attracted speculation about leadership ambitions since being beaten in his bid for the party’s reins in 2024, and has repeatedly stepped out beyond his role as Shadow Justice Secretary.
In a bombshell post on X, Mrs Badenoch said: “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.”
Mr Farage was giving a press conference as the news broke, and confirmed he had been talking to the MP for Newark about defecting to Reform.
He told reporters: “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.”
A Conservative Party source said there was “totally irrefutable” evidence that Robert Jenrick was planning to defect to Reform UK.
The Tory source said: “We have had lots of reports coming in that he was meeting with Reform. He went for dinner with Nigel Farage last month, he had been speaking to people within Westminster about the possibility of a defection. His team has spoken to various people, including journalists, about defection.
“Kemi doesn’t take decisions lightly, she thinks about these things, she analyses things properly. But the evidence was just totally irrefutable that this was going to be done to inflict maximum pain on the party.”
The source would not say when they expected the defection would be announced, but suggested it was “going to be very soon”.
It comes as a number of Conservatives have defected to Reform in recent months, including Danny Kruger and former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi.
However, if Mr Jenrick joined Reform he would have been the first to go from Mrs Badenoch’s Shadow Cabinet. Mr Jenrick’s politics appear to move further to the right in recent years.
He was first elected in a by-election in 2014, and was seen as one of David Cameron’s disciples. He courted controversy as Housing Secretary in 2020 when he accepted that he approved a £1bn housing development in east London “unlawfully”.
The 1,500-home development on the Isle of Dogs was approved on January 14 2020, the day before the community infrastructure levy charges placed on developments were increased.
The timing of the decision meant Conservative Party donor Richard Desmond avoided paying around £40m. The pornography millionaire told The Sunday Times he had spoken to then-Housing Secretary at a dinner at the Savoy Hotel.
Mr Jenrick accepted his decision was unlawful, but denied any bias. The Government’s own planning inspector had advised against the scheme, saying it needed to deliver more affordable housing. Planning permission was later rescinded following a legal challenge made by the local council.