Robert Jenrick: Tory leader sacks shadow justice secretary due to 'irrefutable evidence he was plotting in secret to defect' from Conservative Party
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said she has sacked shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick.
She said she has sacked the minister due to “irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect” from the party. The Tory leader said in a post on X: “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.”
She did not say to which party, but it is likely to have been Reform UK. Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, had scheduled a press conference in Westminster this afternoon.
Nigel Farage has said that “of course” he has had conversations with senior Tory Robert Jenrick. Nigel Farage said he will call Robert Jenrick on Thursday afternoon.
“I’ll give him a ring this afternoon,” the Reform UK leader told reporters at a press conference in Edinburgh. He added: “I might even buy him a pint.” 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 the shadow cabinet line.