Robert Jenrick, the former Tory justice secretary, was sacked by Kemi Badenoch for allegedly "plotting in secret to defect." Badenoch stated she had "clear, irrefutable evidence" of his plans to leave the Conservative Party in a way that would be "as damaging as possible." Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, denied that Jenrick was planning to defect imminently, suggesting Badenoch had overreacted.
Jenrick's alleged move follows a trend of Conservative politicians switching to Reform UK. The article lists several former Tory MPs who have joined Reform, including Lee Anderson, Jonathan Gullis, Nadine Dorries, David Jones, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, Danny Kruger, Lucy Allan, Sir Jake Berry, Anne Marie Morris, Marco Longhi, Ross Thomson, Chris Green, Lia Nici, Ben Bradley, and Nadhim Zahawi. These defections often stem from disillusionment with the Conservative Party and a belief that Reform UK better represents their views.
The article also mentions specific reasons or circumstances for some of these defections, such as losing seats in general elections or disagreements with party leadership. Nadhim Zahawi's move, in particular, was speculated to be linked to a rejected peerage request, which he denied. If Robert Jenrick does defect, it would be considered a significant gain for Reform UK as they campaign for the Scottish elections.