US EditionBlow-up on British Right Sets up Vote Split at Next Election
Jenrick cited Conservative Party disconnect and policy disputes; his defection marks a key shift in UK right-wing politics during a week of party upheaval.
- On Thursday, Robert Jenrick joined Reform UK hours after being ejected from the Conservative Party for allegedly plotting to defect, arriving at a Reform UK press conference as the party announced his switch.
- In the run-up to Wednesday, the Tories had compiled evidence that included information about a dinner between Jenrick and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage last month, establishing he discussed switching with at least two allies.
- Leaked audio from March 2025 showed Robert Jenrick calling Reform UK `not a serious party`, while he continued attending Shadow Cabinet meetings and later spent time at Reform HQ, Millbank Tower.
- Conservative leaders moved quickly, dispatching Tory chief whip Rebecca Harris on Thursday to confront Jenrick, while Kemi Badenoch said on Friday he was `not her problem anymore` and called the defection a win.
- No decisions on Jenrick's position have been taken, and Reform warns of internal reshaping as Nigel Farage plans to rejig his top team in the coming weeks, with analysts citing the most widely contested general election in years.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Blow-up on British right sets up vote split at next election
The dramatic sacking of a senior Conservative and his defection hours later to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK all-but ended the chances of any deal to unite the British right, confirming the next general election as the most widely contested in…
Jenrick defects: can Reform win the next election?
It’s been quite the week in Westminster. A sacking, a defection, and a deepening crisis on the right. Robert Jenrick’s move to Reform has capped off a dramatic few days for the Conservatives. While Nigel Farage has celebrated the moment, calling it a historic realignment of centre-right politics in the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister has described the Conservative Party as a “sinking ship”. So what does this mean for the future of the Conserv…
Three consequences from the Jenrick defection
“The struggle for control of the British right” has taken a “dramatic turn”, said The Economist.Robert Jenrick’s switch from the Conservative Party to Reform UK is “by far the most significant in a string of recent defections”, coming just 72 hours after Nadhim Zahawi made the same move.“I am proud to be Reform’s 270,000th member,” said Jenrick in The Telegraph. “Both main parties broke Britain” and “the truth is Britain has been in decline for …
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