Robert Jenrick has been sacked from the Tories’ shadow cabinet for “plotting in secret to defect”, Kemi Badenoch has said.
The Conservative Party leader did not say which party Mr Jenrick was planning to switch to, but Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he has “of course” had conversations with the senior frontbencher.
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Mr Jenrick was Ms Badenoch’s shadow justice secretary and has long attracted speculation about leadership ambitions since being beaten in his bid to take over the party’s reins in 2024.
Several Conservative figures have welcomed his departure with a former housing minister telling Sky News he is a “dishonest snake”.
In a statement on X, Ms 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.
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“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.”
Conservative sources have told Sky News that Ms Badenoch discovered Mr Jenrick’s plans after his team left “stuff” lying around.
They accidentally left material that showed he had been speaking to the Reform UK leader, including at a dinner last month, it is understood.
Reacting to Mrs Badenoch’s announcement, Mr Farage insisted he was “very surprised” the news had broken and would “never reveal private conversations” as he spoke at a press conference on Thursday.
But asked again whether he had been in talks with the former Tory frontbencher, he added: “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 Jenrick was previously in the moderate “one nation” wing of the Conservative Party before taking a stronger line on issues like Europe and immigration.
Some veteran Tories have welcomed his departure with Rachel Maclean – a former housing minister and now Conservative peer, branding him a “dishonest snake”.
She told Sky News: “Good riddance, not at all surprised given his track record. Kemi displaying strong leadership and members welcome this – we need to get rid of these dishonest snakes.”
Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood also said this would make it easier for the Conservatives to come back from their 2024 election defeat.
He said: “After big election defeats it takes time, in opposition, to confirm your fresh message and why where you sit in the political spectrum – in order to appeal beyond your base. This is made easier when those seeking further drift to the right choose to defect.”
Another senior MP, Bob Blackman, said he was “sad to lose” Mr Jenrick but praised Ms Badenoch for “strong and decisive leadership”.
He said that was a “complete contrast to the weakness of the PM and his constant U turns”.
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