Tories are bracing to see if anyone follows Robert Jenrick out of the door today after Kemi Badenoch’s dramatic move to force his hand.
Westminster is reeling from Mrs Badenoch’s extraordinary pre-emptive strike on her former leadership rival yesterday, sacking him before he could defect to Reform.
The axing kicked off a day of high drama that culminated in Mr Jenrick being formally unveiled by Nigel Farage at a 4.30pm press conference.
He said he no longer believed the Conservatives have the ‘stomach’ for the change that Britain needs.
Mrs Badenoch, who is visiting Scotland ahead of crucial elections in May, has doubled down on her bold move. She said Mr Jenrick was now ‘Nigel Farage’s problem’, adding: ‘It is not a blow to lose someone who lies to his colleagues.’
Former Cabinet minister Michael Gove jibed that Reform now risk looking like the ‘Slytherin House’ of politics – ‘the home of those that are the intriguers’ rather than a ‘fresh force’.
Allies of the leader have voiced confidence that she has stemmed the flow of defections, with many MPs surfacing to condemn Mr Jenrick.
Nick Timothy, who has replaced Mr Jenrick as shadow justice secretary, toured broadcast studios this morning insisting that the Tories are ‘united’.
Asked about the prospect of further defections, he 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.
‘And the reaction of my colleagues in Parliament was to be impressed by the way Kemi handled the situation and pleased that she’s been so decisive.’
Tory MP Mark Francois – sometimes tipped as another defector – gave a damning assessment of Mr Jenrick’s actions today.
‘I feel desperately let down by what Robert did yesterday, personally let down… yesterday was an ego trip, sucking up to Nigel on television,’ he told Talk TV.
‘I cannot respect that.’
However, a number of MPs have yet to comment publicly and there is significant private dismay at the departure.
In a video released at 11.06am yesterday, Mrs Badenoch said she had sacked Mr Jenrick from the frontbench and the party after being presented with ‘clear irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect in a way designed to be as damaging as possible’.
She insisted the British public are sick of ‘psychodramas’.
There are claims that a mole in Mr Jenrick’s team supplied the leadership with a draft speech and media plan being prepared for the defection.
Mr Jenrick said last night that he would not trigger a by-election in his Newark seat, claiming that his constituents were already aware of his views.
Mr Farage, meanwhile, thanked Mrs Badenoch for driving Mr Jenrick into his arms, saying the defection had only been ’60:40′ to happen at that point.
