Robert Jenrick latest: New Reform MP launches scathing attack on Tories as he joins Farage’s party after sacking
Lib Dems say Jenrick has 'industrial-grade brass neck'The Liberal Democrats said Mr Jenrick had "an industrial-grade brass neck" to complain about the state of the nation "when it was him and his Conservative cronies who did such damage to our country and to trust and faith in politics".The party's deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: "Reform and the Conservatives are two sides of the same coin. Right across the country it is the Liberal Democrats who are leading the fight to defeat them."Jane Dalton15 January 2026 21:59Jenrick admits he contributed to Tory blundersAppearing alongside Nigel Farage, Robert Jenrick admitted he had contributed to mistakes in the Tories’ record, but claimed his efforts as a minister had been let down by Boris Johnson and by Rishi Sunak."I can't in good conscience stick with a party that's failed so badly, that isn't sorry and hasn't changed, that I know in my heart won't - can't - deliver what's needed," he said.Noting that he did not agree with everything Mr Farage had ever said, Mr Jenrick continued: "In retrospect, I see that in this period when the two main parties were failing Britain, Nigel was all too often a lone voice of common sense."Jane Dalton15 January 2026 21:10Jenrick has gone where he belongs, says BadenochKemi Badenoch has hit back at Robert Jenrick after his attack on the Conservatives, accusing him of self-publicity rather than serving the UK.“People who come into politics for their own ambitions so they can be on TV or go on I'm a Celebrity, or whatever – those are the people who have damaged politics because they're not interested in day-to-day issues,” she said on a visit to Scotland. “They're not interested in legislating. They want to send tweets, be on social media, be sensations.“And they were not happy with the way I was running the party, wanting it to be serious. And now they have gone where they belong.”Jane Dalton15 January 2026 20:31Jenrick will be in my top team, says FarageRobert Jenrick will join Reform UK’s front-line team, Nigel Farage said, while the defector claimed that Reform was "building and recruiting" a team of people whom the two main parties had “ignored and almost locked out politics".Mr Farage said: "I think Rob coming will bring a lot more people and voters to us. I think this is actually a very big moment, and that's why we talked about it for a long time."He admitted it had taken him a long time to become convinced that Mr Jenrick’s conversion was genuine. “I thought perhaps he was doing it for political advantage within the Conservative Party to become leader,” he said. “I had my doubts, but I've begun to believe since the summer that actually this guy has been on a genuine journey, is viewing the country very differently.” (Reuters)Jane Dalton15 January 2026 20:08Full list of Tories who have defected to Farage’s Reform after Jenrick officially joinsBryony Gooch15 January 2026 20:00More than one in three councils wants to delay electionsAt least 27 local authorities have asked to delay elections this year amid a government reorganisation drive, according to administrators.Dozens of district and county council ballots across England could be pushed back as officials seek to deliver structural changes as part of a shake-up to local government.Opposition critics have said Labour is "running scared" of voters after ministers said they would authorise delays if councils had concerns about their capacity to introduce reforms in time.But Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended the Government's plans and said the prospect of postponements was "a common sense question" of whether to go forward with elections in cases where the local authority is due to undergo changes.According to data compiled by the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA), some 27 - or more than a third - of the 63 eligible local authorities have sought a delay to either district or county council votes this year.Others were yet to make a decision on whether to ask for a postponement ahead of the request deadline at midnight on Thursday.Jane Dalton15 January 2026 19:15Shadow secretary affirms Tories are 'united' despite defectionTory MP Andrew Griffiths, shadow secretary for business and trade, has affirmed that the Conservatives remain united despite Robert Jenrick’s defection. “I came into politics from business. I know there’s no ‘I’ in team. “In the face of the epic damage the socialists in Downing Street are doing, we are not short of reasons for @Conservatives to be united.“Leadership involves laying down the line.”Bryony Gooch15 January 2026 18:57Watch: Why did it take so long to sack Jenrick? Starmer asks'Why did it take so long to sack Jenrick?', Starmer asksJane Dalton15 January 2026 18:35Watch: Farage warns Jenrick he will have to toe Reform line in publicFarage warns Jenrick he will have to toe the Reform line in publicJane Dalton15 January 2026 17:53Jenrick barred from disagreeing with me in public, says FarageNigel Farage says Robert Jenrick will not be allowed to disagree with him in public. Answering a question from The Independent’s Kate Devlin, he said: “The only rule I have as leader is that we have our disagreements, we have our arguments, we have our rows behind closed doors.“People in politics who have disputes in public with me generally don't tend to do terribly well.”Jane Dalton15 January 2026 17:43
