Farage has done my spring cleaning, says Badenoch after Jenrick defection

Kemi Badenoch said Nigel Farage had done her “spring cleaning” after Robert Jenrick joined Reform UK.

Ahead of his defection, Mrs Badenoch had kicked Mr Jenrick off the Tory frontbench and suspended his party membership, citing evidence he was “plotting in secret”.

The Conservative leader said during a visit to Aberdeen on Friday that Mr Jenrick is now “Nigel Farage’s problem” and that he creates “instability” wherever he goes.

The Newark MP is the latest in a series of high-profile Tories to switch allegiance to Mr Farage’s insurgent right-wing party, following former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and sitting MP Danny Kruger.

“Reform has been taking a lot of people who could not find work elsewhere,” she said.

“They’ve been taking people who are repeatedly sacked from government.

“What I’m saying is that Nigel Farage is doing my spring cleaning.

“The problems are going, we are even more united than we were, because we’re a stronger team… Robert Jenrick was not a team player.”

During the visit to an offshore training centre, she said she could commit to the Conservatives going into the next election alone rather than getting into a pact with Reform.

Mrs Badenoch said: “How do you do a deal with liars? How do you do a deal with people who have been saying things that were clearly not true, not just for months, but clearly for years?”

Asked if any more “spring cleaning” needs to be done in her party’s ranks, she told the Press Association anyone interested in “psychodrama” should go.

“If they’re people who do not belong in our party, who think that it’s all a game and that people’s lives are a game, they just want all this psychodrama, then yes, they should go.

“We don’t want people like that in the Conservative Party.

“They caused all the problems, and now people can see that the Conservative Party is getting its act together.”

But she told Sky News she is “100% confident” no further members of her shadow cabinet will defect.

Nick Timothy, who took over Mr Jenrick’s role as shadow justice secretary after he was pre-emptively sacked, said Conservative MPs had reacted with “resolve” to his departure.

He said he had not spoken to his shadow cabinet predecessor since the sacking, which was prompted by a member of staff believed to be within Mr Jenrick’s own team leaking his plans to the Tory leader’s office.

Asked about the prospect of further defections, the West Suffolk MP told BBC Breakfast: “Well I can speak for myself, and I can tell you that I joined the Conservative Party as a 17-year-old and I will die a member of the Conservative Party.

“But the reaction yesterday in Parliament was actually one of surprise that Rob would do this, but also resolve because the party, I think, is more united under Kemi’s leadership than I’ve known it for many years.”

Mr Jenrick accused his former party of being “rotten”, as he confirmed his defection at a press conference on Thursday beside Mr Farage, who said the new recruit would join his party’s “frontline team”.

Reform chief whip Lee Anderson dismissed speculation that Mr Jenrick harbours ambitions to replace Mr Farage, insisting he wants to be “part of the team” and had made a “very brave” move.

“We’re a party that believes in healthy competition. Does Rob want to be a leader? No, he doesn’t,” he told GB News.

Mr Anderson joined Reform in 2024 following his suspension from the Tories after he refused to apologise for his claim that “Islamists” had “got control” of London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.

Meanwhile, a leaked audio recording of Mr Jenrick appeared to reveal him heavily criticising the Reform UK leader in a speech to Tory members last year.

The tape obtained by The Telegraph included claims that Mr Farage “can’t even run a five-a-side team” and that Reform is “not a serious party”.

A Reform spokesman said: “The Conservative Party is dead.”