One of the most high-profile political defections in recent times has become a reality: former shadow justice secretary and Conservative Party right-wing leader Robert Jenrick has officially joined Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
The transition took place on 15–16 January 2026 amid a heated scandal. On the morning of 15 January, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch announced Jenrick’s immediate dismissal from the shadow cabinet and the removal of his party whip, stating that she had ‘irrefutable evidence’ of his preparations to defect to Reform UK ‘in the most damaging way possible for the party.’ Just a few hours later, Jenrick appeared at a joint press conference with Farage and announced his joining the party.
In his first speech as a member of Reform UK, Jenrick harshly criticised his former party colleagues: The Conservative Party is rotten, it has failed, it has not changed, it has not changed, it will not change and it cannot change. The country’s two main parties have broken Britain.
He also stressed that his decision was not motivated by personal ambition but was aimed at ‘uniting the forces of the right’ and that ‘Reform is the last chance to fix the country.’
Nigel Farage welcomed the move as the party’s biggest success to date, calling Jenrick ‘an important asset’ and saying he would join the Reform UK front team.
The reaction from the Conservatives was extremely harsh. Kemi Badenoch called Jenrick a liar and said that the party had become ‘stronger and more united’ after his departure. She also thanked Farage for the ‘spring cleaning’ in her party.
Jenrick’s departure has already caused a chain reaction: other Conservative MPs, including Andrew Rosindell, followed suit within a few days. The Reform UK party is confident that such defections will bring them closer to victory in the next general election, and some analysts call what is happening the beginning of a major reshaping of the right wing of British politics.