POLL: Was Kemi Badenoch right to sack Robert Jenrick? | Politics | News
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has sacked shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick over “irrefutable evidence that he conspired to sneak out” – but do you think it’s the right decision? The opposition leader claimed Mr Jenrick was planning to leave the party “in a way designed to be as damaging as possible”, while sources suggested he was planning to leave Reform UK.
There have been rumors about Mr Jenrick’s leadership ambitions since his defeat to Ms Badenoch in the 2024 leadership contest and he has repeatedly crossed the shadow cabinet line. So what do you think? Vote in our poll and join the discussion in the comments section. Can’t see the survey below? Click here.
Announcing the decision, Ms Badenoch told channel X: “I have sacked Robert Jenrick from the shadow cabinet, removed the whip and suspended his party membership with immediate effect.
“I have been presented with clear and irrefutable evidence that he secretly planned to defect in a way that was as damaging as possible to his colleagues in the shadow cabinet and to the Conservative Party more broadly.
“The British people are tired of political psychodrama, and so am I. They saw too much of it in the last Government, and they see too much of it in this Government. I will not repeat those mistakes.”
A source told The Times Ms Badenoch sacked the shadow justice secretary after her team received a copy of Mr Jenrick’s draft resignation speech.
Reform leader Nigel Farage insisted he was “very surprised” by the news but admitted he had held talks with Mr Jenrick, suggesting he could be the latest in a series of Conservative Party defectors to defect to the rebel party.
“Of course I spoke to Robert Jenrick,” Mr Farage told a press conference today. “Was I on the verge of signing a document with him? No. And did we ever talk? Yes.”
“I think almost every Conservative is considering leaving the Conservatives, yes,” he continued. “I’m going to give him a ring this afternoon. I might even buy him a beer.”
