Britain’s opposition Conservative Party plunged deeper into turmoil on Wednesday after leader Kemi Badenoch sacked senior frontbencher Robert Jenrick, accusing him of plotting to defect to Reform UK.
Badenoch said she had been presented with “clear, irrefutable evidence” that Jenrick was preparing to leave the party in a way designed to cause “maximum possible pain” ahead of local elections. She removed the whip, dismissed him from the shadow cabinet, and suspended his party membership with immediate effect, saying the public was “tired of political psychodrama”.
The dramatic move follows a series of high-profile Tory defections to Reform UK, including former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi earlier this week, fuelling perceptions of a party haemorrhaging support after its heavy 2024 election defeat.
Reform leader Nigel Farage denied that Jenrick had been about to be unveiled as a defector at a scheduled press conference, accusing Badenoch of “panicking” and “adding two and two and making five”. He confirmed, however, that talks had taken place.
