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Former Conservative leadership rival to Kemi Badenoch says his old party and Labour ‘broke Britain’
Kate Devlin Whitehall Editor, Athena Stavrou, David Maddox & Jane DaltonFriday 16 January 2026 01:00 GMT- Bookmark
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CloseRobert Jenrick launches blistering attack on 'failed' Conservatives
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Robert Jenrick launched a deeply scathing attack on his former party, saying the Conservatives were "in denial or being dishonest" about what they had done.
Nigel Farage revealed the ex-Tory leadership candidate as Reform UK’s new recruit on Thursday.
In his first speech as a Reform MP, Mr Jenrick insisted the party he claimed had "failed so badly" was not sorry about mistakes made in government.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch had sacked him earlier that day, citing "irrefutable evidence” that he was “plotting to jump ship in a damaging way”.
At a Westminster press conference alongside Mr Farage, Mr Jenrick revealed he had been in talks with Reform for four months. He said: "Both Labour and the Conservatives broke Britain, and both are now dominated by those without the competence or the backbone needed to fix it.”
The Reform leader also said a well-known Labour figure would be announced as another defector on Tuesday.
Last month, Mr Jenrick insisted he “wasn’t going anywhere” when asked about a possible defection.
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Key points
- Jenrick takes swipe at Tories in first speech for Reform
- Nigel Farage welcomes Jenrick to Reform UK
- Watch: Kemi Badenoch sacks Robert Jenrick
- Robert Jenrick sacked by Kemi Badenoch after ‘plotting in secret to defect’
- How alleged 'secret defection plot' was uncovered
Watch: Awkward moment Farage left waiting as Jenrick fails to appear
Awkward moment Farage left waiting as Jenrick fails to appear at own Reform unveiling
This is the awkward moment Nigel Farage was left waiting as Robert Jenrick failed to appear at his own Reform UK unveiling. Mr Jenrick was sacked from the Tory cabinet by leader Kemi Badenoch on Thursday (15 January) after she accused him of “plotting in secret to defect”. After unveiling Mr Jenrick as a new member of the party mere hours later, Mr Farage was left looking sheepish when the ex-Tory MP failed to turn up on stage. “This really would put the tin lid on the whole thing,” he said. Over a minute later, Mr Jenrick finally appeared on stage, with Mr Farage telling him: “I didn’t know where you’d gone.”Jane Dalton16 January 2026 01:00Streeting calls for action on social media ban for under-16s
Streeting calls for ‘action’ on calls to ban under-16s from social media
Sir Keir Starmer has faced calls to place restrictions on under-16s accessing social media platforms in recent weeksJane Dalton15 January 2026 23:59Watch: Jenrick rules out Reform defection weeks before switching
Watch: Jenrick rules out Reform defection weeks before sacking
Robert Jenrick ruled out a move to Reform UK just weeks before he was sacked due to "irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect'' from the Conservative Party. The former shadow justice secretary told Times Radio on 3 December that he "wasn't going anywhere," responding to rumours of Reform members being excited at the prospect of him as a chancellor in a Reform government. On Thursday (15 January), the Tory leader announced that she had fired him in a video message timed to land as Nigel Farage began a high-profile Reform UK press conference in Scotland.Jane Dalton15 January 2026 22:59Lib Dems say Jenrick has 'industrial-grade brass neck'
The Liberal Democrats said Mr Jenrick had "an industrial-grade brass neck" to complain about the state of the nation "when it was him and his Conservative cronies who did such damage to our country and to trust and faith in politics".
The party's deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: "Reform and the Conservatives are two sides of the same coin. Right across the country it is the Liberal Democrats who are leading the fight to defeat them."
Jane Dalton15 January 2026 21:59Jenrick admits he contributed to Tory blunders
Appearing alongside Nigel Farage, Robert Jenrick admitted he had contributed to mistakes in the Tories’ record, but claimed his efforts as a minister had been let down by Boris Johnson and by Rishi Sunak.
"I can't in good conscience stick with a party that's failed so badly, that isn't sorry and hasn't changed, that I know in my heart won't - can't - deliver what's needed," he said.
Noting that he did not agree with everything Mr Farage had ever said, Mr Jenrick continued: "In retrospect, I see that in this period when the two main parties were failing Britain, Nigel was all too often a lone voice of common sense."
Jane Dalton15 January 2026 21:10Jenrick has gone where he belongs, says Badenoch
Kemi Badenoch has hit back at Robert Jenrick after his attack on the Conservatives, accusing him of self-publicity rather than serving the UK.
“People who come into politics for their own ambitions so they can be on TV or go on I'm a Celebrity, or whatever – those are the people who have damaged politics because they're not interested in day-to-day issues,” she said on a visit to Scotland.
“They're not interested in legislating. They want to send tweets, be on social media, be sensations.
“And they were not happy with the way I was running the party, wanting it to be serious. And now they have gone where they belong.”
Jane Dalton15 January 2026 20:31Jenrick will be in my top team, says Farage
Robert Jenrick will join Reform UK’s front-line team, Nigel Farage said, while the defector claimed that Reform was "building and recruiting" a team of people whom the two main parties had “ignored and almost locked out politics".
Mr Farage said: "I think Rob coming will bring a lot more people and voters to us. I think this is actually a very big moment, and that's why we talked about it for a long time."
He admitted it had taken him a long time to become convinced that Mr Jenrick’s conversion was genuine.
“I thought perhaps he was doing it for political advantage within the Conservative Party to become leader,” he said. “I had my doubts, but I've begun to believe since the summer that actually this guy has been on a genuine journey, is viewing the country very differently.”
(Reuters)Jane Dalton15 January 2026 20:08Full list of Tories who have defected to Farage’s Reform after Jenrick officially joins
Full list of former Tories who have defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform
Robert Jenrick has been sacked by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch due to ‘irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect’ from the partyBryony Gooch15 January 2026 20:00More than one in three councils wants to delay elections
At least 27 local authorities have asked to delay elections this year amid a government reorganisation drive, according to administrators.
Dozens of district and county council ballots across England could be pushed back as officials seek to deliver structural changes as part of a shake-up to local government.
Opposition critics have said Labour is "running scared" of voters after ministers said they would authorise delays if councils had concerns about their capacity to introduce reforms in time.
But Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended the Government's plans and said the prospect of postponements was "a common sense question" of whether to go forward with elections in cases where the local authority is due to undergo changes.
According to data compiled by the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA), some 27 - or more than a third - of the 63 eligible local authorities have sought a delay to either district or county council votes this year.
Others were yet to make a decision on whether to ask for a postponement ahead of the request deadline at midnight on Thursday.
Jane Dalton15 January 2026 19:15Shadow secretary affirms Tories are 'united' despite defection
Tory MP Andrew Griffiths, shadow secretary for business and trade, has affirmed that the Conservatives remain united despite Robert Jenrick’s defection.
“I came into politics from business. I know there’s no ‘I’ in team.
“In the face of the epic damage the socialists in Downing Street are doing, we are not short of reasons for @Conservatives to be united.
“Leadership involves laying down the line.”
Bryony Gooch15 January 2026 18:57Newer1 / 6OlderMore about
Robert JenrickKemi BadenochConservative PartyReform UKNigel FarageToriesJoin our commenting forum
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