Overview
- Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch sacked and suspended Robert Jenrick after his resignation speech was found on a photocopier, and he then confirmed his move to Reform UK alongside Nigel Farage.
- Reform policy chief Zia Yusuf said Jenrick’s arrival makes a Reform general election win more likely, rejected any pact with the Conservatives, and framed the party’s goal as replacing the Tories.
- Reform’s recruitment drive has prompted internal worries about taking on controversial ex-Tories such as Nadhim Zahawi and Jenrick, with a leaked media plan describing Jenrick as a “new sheriff in town.”
- A YouGov survey taken after Zahawi’s switch but before Jenrick’s found Reform down to 24% with the Conservatives at 20% and Labour at 19%, and Badenoch won plaudits for pre-empting Jenrick’s move.
- Nigel Farage pulled out of the BBC’s Sunday show saying he was unwell, and deputy leader Richard Tice teased further defections, with talk focusing on a possible Labour figure though no move has been confirmed.