Tory leader Kemi Badenoch is being urged to publish evidence that former shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick was plotting to defect after she sacked him from the shadow cabinet.
Ms Badenoch said she had received “clear, irrefutable evidence” that her former leadership rival was planning to leave the party “in a way designed to be as damaging as possible to his shadow cabinet colleagues and the wider Conservative Party”.
She added that Mr Jenrick had had the whip removed and his party membership had been suspended.
A Conservative source said the MP had met Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage and had spoken of a defection.
Tory ex-business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was crucially important that evidence was provided of notes reportedly in a speech that were heavily critical of colleagues.
Mr Farage said that “of course” he had had conversations with Mr Jenrick, adding he had “little doubt” that he had been considering switching to Reform and that he would call Mr Jenrick this afternoon. Mr Farage was set to unveil the new Reform Scotland leader when the news broke.
Last month, Mr Jenrick insisted he “wasn’t going anywhere” when asked about a possible defection.
Key Points
- Robert Jenrick sacked as Tory minister by Badenoch after ‘plotting in secret to defect’
- Farage: 'Of course I was having conversations with Jenrick'
- 'Why did it take so long to sack Jenrick?', Starmer asks
- Watch: Kemi Badenoch sacks Robert Jenrick
- Badenoch: I was presented with clear, irrefutable evidence of secret plot
- How alleged 'secret defection plot' was uncovered
Everything Farage and Jenrick have said about each other
16:30 , Jane DaltonThe jibes and scathing take-downs:
‘Lies’ and ‘a fraud’: Everything Farage and Jenrick have said about each other
Farage expected to confirm Jenrick joining Reform UK
16:24 , Jane DaltonNigel Farage is expected to confirm Robert Jenrick’s defection to Reform UK at a press conference soon, The Times reports.
Jenrick’s allies said they expected the pair to appear alongside one another in Reform UK’s Westminster headquarters.
Farage had intended to hold the event about the delay to local elections but has changed his plans.
Nick Timothy replaces Jenrick
16:18 , Jane DaltonNick Timothy is the new shadow justice secretary, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has announced after sacking Robert Jenrick.
Mr Timothy had backed Mr Jenrick in the Tory leadership race.
Lords given more time to discuss assisted dying bill
16:03 , Jane DaltonSittings in the House of Lords on the proposed assisted-dying law are to be extended to provide around an extra 25 hours for peers to complete their scrutiny.
Longer sessions will be held on the Fridays allocated for debate of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
The Bill will become law only if the Commons and Lords agree on its final drafting, with approval needed before spring when the session of Parliament ends.
With the clock ticking, supporters of the law change have accused some opponents in the Lords of filibustering and trying to "talk out" the legislation, having tabled more than 1,000 amendments - a record number for a private member's Bill.
Ban on animal-testing centres protest ‘draconian assault on democracy’
15:52 , Jane DaltonIn case you missed it: The government is reclassifying animal-testing centres as key infrastructure, meaning peaceful protesting there is outlawed. Offenders could be jailed or fined and opponents branded the move “a slide against the right to free assembly”.
Labour ban on peaceful protest at animal-testing centres slated as ‘draconian’
All the Tories who have switched to Reform UK
15:40 , Jane DaltonA string of high-profile Tory figures have jumped ship to Reform UK, including former ministers Nadhim Zahawi, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, Jonathan Gullis and Nadine Dorries - forcing Mr Farage to deny his outfit is becoming "the Conservative Party 2.0".
Full list of former Tories who have defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform
Row could harm Badenoch if she can't prove claims, says expert
15:26 , Millie CookeIf Kemi Badenoch is unable to prove that Robert Jenrick was going to defect, today’s saga could do damage to her authority, polling guru Sir John Curtice has warned.
He told The Independent that there were two possible scenarios that could play out in the coming days.
“On the one hand, does this cement Badenoch’s authority over her party, and in a sense, perhaps help to discourage other MPs from making the leap?
“Or does it end up being a mess where perhaps she isn't able to prove… that Jenrick was about to defect? But then Jenrick wanders off anyway and says, ‘I was pushed out, I wanted to stay, it's not my fault’. And that, as a result, does the damage.”
No way back into Tories for Jenrick, says party chief
15:10 , Jane DaltonThere is no way back for Robert Jenrick into the Conservative Party, the Tory chairman has signalled.
When Kevin Hollinrake was asked whether he thought there was now “no way back” for the ex-shadow justice secretary into the Tories, he replied: “That’s right. We’re very clear on that.”
Mr Hollinrake also suggested that discussions over sacking Mr Jenrick began on Wednesday.
Asked by Sky News when the party leadership became aware of documents alleged to detail Mr Jenrick’s intention to defect, the Tory chairman said he had been “discussing this last night” with party leader Mrs Badenoch, before adding he did not want to “be too specific in terms of these things”.
Why Badenoch finally gave Jenrick the boot after power struggle
14:56 , Jane Dalton
Why Badenoch has finally given Jenrick the boot after months of Tory power struggle
Jenrick branded 'treacherous' by party chief
14:49 , Jane DaltonConservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake branded Mr Jenrick's move "treacherous" as he suggested the ex-shadow minister had reacted poorly to his defeat in the Tory leadership contest.
Mr Hollinrake told the BBC: "It's fair to say Rob didn't take losing the leadership contest very well, so I think it's been difficult at times with Rob trying to get him on side.
"We didn't expect this. We didn't want this. But having seen what we've seen, there was no other course of action Kemi could take."
Badenoch urged to show evidence
14:08 , Jane DaltonFormer Conservative MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg says Kemi Badenoch needs to show evidence of Robert Jenrick's plot to defect to Reform.
"If the evidence isn't there, it looks as if she's kneecapped a potential challenger," he said.
But if the evidence was there, she had made a bold move that strengthened her leadership, he told Sky News.
"If the evidence isn't there, it looks as if she's kneecapped a potential challenger"
— Darren McCaffrey (@darrenmccaffrey) January 15, 2026
Former Conservative MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg tells @DarrenMcCaffrey that Kemi Badenoch needs to show evidence of Robert Jenrick's plot to defect to Reform.pic.twitter.com/LzoOkBTOWB
Parliamentary business upset
14:04 , Jane DaltonIn a sign of the sudden nature of Mrs Badenoch's decision to sack Mr Jenrick, he did not appear in Parliament to present a Bill on behalf of the Tories, as detailed in the Commons order paper.
Farage hails himself 'ultimate leader' of Reform UK
13:51 , Athena StavrouNigel Farage has said he is the “ultimate leader” of Reform UK as he unveiled Reform UK’s new Scottish leader at the same time as Robert Jenrick was sacked for allegedly planning a defection to the party.
“I am the leader of the party, I have quite a lot of power,” Mr Farage said when asked if he could kick out policies he does not like from Reform’s new Scottish leader, Malcolm Offord.
News that Kemi Badenoch had sacked Mr Jenrick broke during the press conference, amid rumours the senior Tory was planning a leadership coup.
'Why did it take so long to sack Jenrick?', Starmer asks
13:36 , Athena StavrouTory MPs rally around Badenoch after shock sacking
13:27 , Athena StavrouSome Tory MPs have already backed their leader’s decision to sack Robert Jenrick.
Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake praised Kemi Badenoch’s move as: “Clear. Decisive. Strong.”
Tory whip Paul Holmes said the sacking was a sign of “strong leadership and decisive action”.
Analysis: Farage is the one clear winner in the Jenrick-Badenoch row
13:18 , Athena StavrouThe Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Robert Jenrick’s rumoured defection has thrown Kemi Badenoch’s party into chaos, while he himself has been left in political limbo, as he’s been kicked out of the Tories and is yet to officially join Reform UK.
But there is one clear winner: Nigel Farage.
If Jenrick does join Reform UK, he’ll help to solve one of the party's key issues: the perception that its leaders do not have enough experience in government.
And given Jenrick is now politically homeless, he has significantly less bargaining power to use in any talks he might be having with Farage than he did before.
Somehow, without doing much at all, Reform's leader has found himself in a position of immense power here.
Everything Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick have said about each other amid speculation of Reform defection
13:14 , Athena StavrouRobert Jenrick has been sacked as shadow justice secretary and suspended from the Conservative Party amid widespread speculation he was planning to defect to Reform UK.
However, while it had been rumoured that the Newark MP had been courting Reform, reportedly having dinner with Nigel Farage last month, their relationship has been far from smooth.
Just last year, they traded insults on social media, with Mr Farage referring to him as a “fraud” while Mr Jenrick had previously said he wished to send the Clacton MP “back to retirement”.
Here is everything Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick have said about each other:
What Farage and Jenrick have said about each other ahead of possible Reform defection
Analysis: Allies of Jenrick claim he was sacked because of a planned coup against Badenoch
12:59 , Athena StavrouThe Independent’s Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Conservative sources say Mr Jenrick was fired after they saw "totally irrefutable" evidence he was planning to defect to Reform UK.
This included reports he was meeting with Reform and a dinner with Nigel Farage last month.
They also claim they got hold of a copy of his resignation speech in the last 24 hours, which is why Ms Badenoch moved.
The belief is that he was working on two options – to replace her as leader or failing that, to defect to Reform.
But his supporters say the real reason he has been sacked and thrown out of the party was because they were plotting a leadership challenge against Ms Badenoch after the May elections, which are widely expected to be disastrous for the Tories.
The Independent had approached Ms Badenoch’s office this week after seeing evidence that of a leadership push, and that Mr Jenrick's allies were preparing the letters of no confidence needed to trigger a Tory leadership contest.
One ally of Jenrick told The Independent: “This is just a move to take Robert out. There was no reason for him to defect. Many of us saw him as leader elect. This could backfire badly on her”.
'Tonight's turret meeting will be awkward': Lib Dems declare Jenrick a Traitor
12:49 , Athena StavrouKemi Badenoch’s sacking of Robert Jenrick “makes The Traitors’ roundtable look united”, the Liberal Democrats said.
A party source said: “The Conservative shadow cabinet makes The Traitors’ roundtable look united.
“The country deserves better than a clapped-out Labour government and the same old Conservative chaos.”
Conservative councillor in Jenrick's constituency feels 'totally betrayed' by alleged defection plot
12:46 , Athena StavrouThe Conservative councillor for the Newark West ward on Nottinghamshire County Council has said he feels “totally betrayed” by Robert Jenrick after Kemi Badenoch said he was plotting to defect.
“I’m obviously very, very, very disappointed in Robert,” he said.
“I’m a great believer in loyalty and he’s shown a complete lack of loyalty there.
“I think Kemi has done absolutely the right thing when she finds evidence of what he’s plotting to do. She’s shown real leadership there to sack him, kick him out of the party, and we’ll deal with the aftermath.”
Asked if he felt betrayed, Mr Girling said: “Totally betrayed. We’ve supported Robert with his political ambition, you know, he obviously wanted to be the leader (of the Conservative Party).
“Clearly he was disappointed he didn’t get that. But that’s not down to the efforts of this association who’s always supported him, you know, and he’s really just sort of turned his back on all that, on that loyalty, and gone his own way.
“I think that’s quite shameful, really.”
Full list of Tories who have defected to Farage’s Reform after Jenrick sacked for ‘plotting move’
12:40 , Athena StavrouRobert Jenrick, the former Tory justice secretary, has been sacked by Kemi Badenoch for “plotting in secret to defect”, fuelling speculation he is about to switch to Reform UK.
If Mr Jenrick were to defect to Reform, he would join the likes of Nadhim Zahawi, Lee Anderson, Nadine Dorries and Danny Kruger as former Conservatives who have all switched to join the party in the past two years.
Here are the other Conservatives who defected to Reform UK:
Full list of former Tories who have defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform
'Why did it take so long to sack Jenrick?', Starmer asks
12:32 , Athena StavrouSir Keir Starmer questioned why it took Kemi Badenoch “so long” to sack Robert Jenrick as the senior Tory faced accusations of defecting to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
The prime minister told broadcasters during a visit to Scotland: “My question is: why did it take so long?
“Jenrick has been making toxic comments to try and divide our country for months, and months, and months, but it’s only now, when he’s on the verge of defecting to Reform, that Badenoch gets around to sacking him. So, that’s weakness on her part.
“There’s a bigger story here, because we’re seeing a flood of Tory politicians, ex-politicians, going across to Reform because they know that the Tory Party is a sinking ship.
“Equally, from Reform’s point of view, you’ve got Nigel Farage who is welcoming these failed politicians into his ranks and building his party as a party of the Tory politicians who let the country down so badly.”
Badenoch 'unable to stop flood' of Tory MPs defecting
12:24 , Athena StavrouRobert Jenrick’s sacking is a sign Kemi Badenoch is “unable to stop the flood of Tory MPs deserting her sinking ship”, the prime minister’s press secretary has said.
“It shows how weak Kemi Badenoch is that she could only sack Robert Jenrick when he was on his way out,” they said.
“Robert Jenrick is just the latest in a long line of failed Tory retreads and has joined the disgraced former Tory politicians that Reform has welcomed into its party in recent weeks. Kemi Badenoch is unable to stop the flood of Tory MPs deserting her sinking ship.”
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Analysis: Badenoch’s swift action over Jenrick risks being a victory mainly for Farage
12:14 , Athena StavrouThe Independent’s Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have long been at each other’s throats.
They were rivals in the contest to lead the Conservative party only 14 months ago.
And Mr Jenrick has been a thorn in her side ever since.
But today’s announcement risks being a win not for her, but for her other opponent Nigel Farage.
The Reform UK leader appears to have succeeded in destabilising the Tory party - and may now even have time to mull over whether or not he wants Mr Jenrick, a potential leadership contender in whatever party he is a member of, to join.
'Jenrick is a fraud': Farage and Jenrick have history of trading blows
12:04 , Athena StavrouTory leader Kemi Badenoch has claimed senior party member Robert Jenrick was planning to defect to Reform UK.
Tory sources say evidence includes a dinner Jenrick had with Nigel Farage last month - though the Reform leader has said insisted there was no done deal.
Old social media posts from both Jenrick and Farage however show a less-than-friendly past.
In one X post in August, Farage labelled Jenrick a “fraud” on his record on migrant hotels.
When Farage backed lifting the two-child benefit cap, Jenrick wrote: “Why is Farage backing this policy?
“Has he cooked this up after one too many pints at his local? Has a joint found its way into his usual pack of Marlboro Golds?”
Watch: Jenrick rules out Reform defection weeks before sacking
11:58 , Athena StavrouEvidence of defection was 'totally irrefutable', says Tory source
11:54 , Athena StavrouA Conservative Party source told the Press Association there was “totally irrefutable” evidence that Robert Jenrick was planning to defect to Reform UK.
The Tory source said: “We have had lots of reports coming in that he was meeting with Reform. He went for dinner with Nigel Farage last month, he had been speaking to people within Westminster about the possibility of a defection.
“His team has spoken to various people, including journalists, about defection.
“Kemi doesn’t take decisions lightly, she thinks about these things, she analyses things properly. But the evidence was just totally irrefutable that this was going to be done to inflict maximum pain on the party.”
The source would not say when they expected the defection would be announced, but suggested it was “going to be very soon”.
Tory chief whip Rebecca Harris informed Mr Jenrick he had been sacked and had the whip and his Conservative Party membership suspended, the source said.
How alleged 'secret defection plot' was uncovered
11:48 , Athena StavrouKemi Badenoch has sacked Robert Jenrick for allegedly secretly plotting to defect.
The Conservative Party came to this conclusion after compiling “irrefutable” evidence that he was planning the move.
Evidence included a dinner between Mr Jenrick and Nigel Farage in December, according to The Telegraph.
“We’d known for a while that he was starting to get closer to Reform,” a senior party source told the paper.
“He had dinner with Nigel last month, he’d discussed defecting with allies and that had got back to CCHQ”.
Farage to call Jenrick today after shock sacking
11:42 , Athena StavrouNigel Farage said he will call Robert Jenrick on Thursday afternoon after Kemi Badenoch sacked him from her front bench and suspended his Tory membership.
“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.”
Reform UK press conference turns to focus on Jenrick
11:38 , Athena StavrouAs we’ve been reporting, the news that Robert Jenrick has been sacked for plotting to defect came at the same time Nigel Farage began a press conference in Fife.
The event was supposed to focus on the party unveiling its leader for Scotland, but questions are being dominated by the breaking news.
Asked whether he had planned to announce Mr Jenrick’s defection at another planned press conference today, the Reform UK leader told reporters: “I can confirm, hand on heart, honestly, look you in the eye, I was not going to be unveiling Robert Jenrick at 4.30pm this afternoon.”
Badenoch: I was presented with clear, irrefutable evidence of secret plot
11:33 , Athena StavrouKemi Badenoch said she was presented with “clear, irrefutable evidence” that Robert Jenrick was “plotting in secret” to defect from the Conservative Party.
In a video uploaded to X, the Tory leader said she had evidence he was seeking to defect in “a way designed to be as damaging as possible to his Shadow Cabinet colleagues and the wider Conservative Party”.
Watch: Kemi Badenoch sacks Robert Jenrick
11:29 , Athena StavrouFarage: 'Of course I was having conversations with Jenrick'
11:28 , Athena StavrouReacting to Kemi Badenoch’s announcement she has sacked Robert Jenrick from her front bench, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “I’m very surprised that this news is broken.”
Asked if he had been speaking to Mr Jenrick, the Reform leader said: “I never reveal private conversations of anybody, which is why when people like Malcolm (Offord) came to me to talk, and he was a frontbencher, nothing ever leaked.
“I’m going to say that I’ve had conversations with a number of very senior Conservatives over the course of the last week, over the course of the last month.”
Pressed again about whether he had spoken to the now ex-shadow justice secretary, Mr Farage said: “Of course I’ve talked to Robert Jenrick. Was I on the verge of signing a document with him? No. But have we had conversations? Yes.”
Mr Farage was asked again if Mr Jenrick had been considering leaving the Tories for Reform, and said: “I think virtually every Conservative is considering leaving the Conservatives, yes.”
Asked if this included Mr Jenrick, he replied: “I think that’s been in his mind, yes. I’ve little doubt it’s been in his mind.”
Robert Jenrick sacked as Tory minister by Badenoch after ‘plotting in secret to defect’
11:26 , Athena StavrouTory leader Kemi Badenoch said she has sacked shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick due to "irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect'' from the party.
Alongside it, she tweeted : “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. “
