Mrs Badenoch sacks Robert Jenrick for ‘plotting to defect’

Kemi Badenoch has sacked Robert Jenrick for “plotting in secret to defect” from the Conservative Party.

The Tory leader said she had been presented with “clear, irrefutable evidence” that the shadow justice secretary had been planning to quit her top team.

The Telegraph understands that the Tories found a copy of Mr Jenrick’s resignation letter.

The Tories claimed Mr Jenrick had dined with Nigel Farage last month, and that he had discussed defecting to Reform with at least two allies.

Mrs Badenoch said: “I have sacked Robert Jenrick from the shadow cabinet, removed the whip and suspended his party membership with immediate effect.

“I was presented with clear, irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect in a way designed to be as damaging as possible to his shadow cabinet colleagues and the wider Conservative Party.

“The British public are tired of political psychodrama and so am I. They saw too much of it in the last government, they’re seeing too much of it in this government. I will not repeat those mistakes.”

A senior party source told The Telegraph: “We’d known for a while that he was starting to get closer to Reform.

“He had dinner with Nigel last month, he’d discussed defecting with allies and that had got back to CCHQ.”

Mr Farage said he had spoken to Mr Jenrick but denied the pair had made a deal.

[Source: Daily Telegraph]