Robert Jenrick has become the sixth Reform UK MP after he was sacked from the Conservatives.
The former Shadow Justice Secretary defected to Reform as he was welcomed on stage by party leader Nigel Farage.
Mr Farage said: "The negotiations with Jenrick are over. There’s nothing more to be said or to be done.
"You’ve handed me on a plate the man that is by far the most popular figure, 60 per cent approval rating on ConHome...you’ve perhaps today, really done anything more than anybody in history to help realign the centre-right of British politics, which is much needed against a dreadful Labour Government and increasingly worrying extreme left-wing voice in this country.
"So I can’t offer you drinks all round, but I’ll buy Kemi lunch next week and say thank you. And on that note, I will welcome Robert Jenrick into this room and into Reform UK."
There was some to confusion as Mr Jenrick, the MP for Newark, did not show up immediately at the Reform UK conference after being introduced.
Mr Farage joked: "This really would put the tin lid on the whole thing."
In the press conference, Mr Farage also confirmed after this year's local elections on May 7, he would not welcome any more defections.
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Robert Jenrick put on blast for 'mistimed' Reform defection - 'He's made a mistake'
Robert Jenrick's "mistimed" defection to Reform UK has been dismantled by Trevor Kavanagh, as he declared the former Tory has "made a mistake".
Speaking to GB News, the Former Political Editor of The Sun told host Jacob Rees-Mogg that Mr Jenrick has chosen to defect at a time when Tory leader Kemi Badenoch is "beginning to gain traction".
Conservative MP suggests Robert Jenrick is 'as responsible as anyone else' in the party
Conservative MP David Davis said Robert Jenrick "should stop blaming others for the state of the country" as he is "responsible as anyone else."
The MP for Goole and Pocklington said: "It’s entirely up to Robert Jenrick what he does next with his career. But he should stop blaming others for the state of the country.
"After serving as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Minister of State for Health and Minister of State for Immigration, he is as responsible as anyone else.
"Particularly considering that he chose to walk out of government after not being promoted by Rishi Sunak, he now attacks from the sidelines the colleagues he abandoned.
"Unlike him, some of his colleagues chose not to serve in governments that were doing the wrong thing."
Former Brexit negotiator says it is now a 'fight to the death' between Reform and the Tories
The former Brexit negotiator has said any potential Reform and Conservative pact is "surely dead" as he said it now a "fight to the death" between the two right-wing parties.
Writing in The Telegraph, Lord Frost said: "What matters is that the subterranean warfare between Reform and the Tories has now burst out fully into the open. Both parties are engaged in a street fight to the death.
"Each party is trying to kill off the other and has no alternative to doing so. Politicians who try to build bridges are likely to find it is career-ending.
"As a result speculation, or more accurately, wishful thinking about a pact or arrangement between the two parties is surely dead."
Robert Jenrick's Reform defection torn apart by Newark Tory Chair: 'It's a JOKE!'
Robert Jenrick's defection to Reform UK has been handed a scathing assessment by the Chairman of Newark's Conservatives Association.
Speaking to GB News, Keith Girling hit out at the former Tory MP as he declared the move a "joke" and "absolute rubbish".
Robert Jenrick becomes the 18th former Conservative parliamentarian to join Reform
Robert Jenrick has become the 18th former Conservative parliamentarian to join Reform UK as Nigel Farage has set a deadline for defections.
Lee Anderson became the first ever Reform MP when he defected from the Tories in 2024.
Other former senior Tories to join the party include Boris Johnson ally Nadine Dorries, the MP for East Wiltshire Danny Kruger, ex-Conservative chancellor under Boris Johnson Nadhim Zahawi and former Conservative Party Chairman Sir Jake Berry.
At least 18 local authorities seeking elections delay, data suggests
At least 18 local authorities have asked to delay elections due this year amid a Government reorganisation drive, according to administrators.
District and county council ballots across England scheduled for May are set to 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.
And Housing Secretary Steve Reed has rejected that delays are "denying democracy."
Kemi Badenoch issues scathing attack on former colleague Robert Jenrick
Kemi Badenoch said Reform is a party for "people who don't tell the truth" as she issued a scathing attack on her former colleague Robert Jenrick.
The Conservative Leader told a Scottish Tories event: "The Conservative Party is a broad church.
"What we need are people who believe in public service and the 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, they’re not interested in legislation, 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 us to be serious.
"Now, they have gone where they belong. Reform is a party for people who don’t tell the truth."
Nigel Farage explains deadline for defections
Nigel Farage has said 'my phone is buzzing' as he issued a warning for potential defections.
He told GB News: "We only want people to come to us who will add to us. I don't want people to come to us because they see us as a life raft for their career.
"I've set this deadline of May the 7th. Simple. Next week, [we'll] have a Labour defection.
"[We had] a Green defection yesterday from one of the councillors. So look, they will attempt to say we're Tory 2.0. We're not. We're a very distinct, different brand."
Nigel Farage defends previous attacks on Robert Jenrick
Robert Jenrick has joined Reform
|GETTY
Nigel Farage defended having once called Robert Jenrick "Robert Generic" among other unflattering nicknames.
In a post on social media from August last year, Mr Farage also called him a "fraud."
The Reform leader said: "I’m allowed to change my mind, I’m allowed to watch the progression and the journey. And I’m a bit like Zia [Yusuf]. I don’t trust any of them naturally, they have to prove to me that they are genuinely repentant.
"And I think what this guy has done, with the energy that he’s put into his journalism, into his YouTube videos, into his speeches in Parliament, and talking to people who know him as I’ve done...I promise you I’m allowed to change my mind."
Mr Jenrick added: "This is politics. People say all sorts of things in politics."
Reform and Tories are 'two sides of the same coin', says Lib Dems
Responding to Robert Jenrick’s defection to Reform UK, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: "This was a conman introducing a charlatan.
"Robert Jenrick has an industrial-grade brass neck to be complaining about how broken Britain is, when it was him and his Conservative cronies who did such damage to our country and to trust and faith in politics.
"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."
Boris Johnson is 'not welcome' in Reform UK, Nigel Farage indicates
Boris Johnson is not welcome in Reform UK, Nigel Farage has indicated.
Asked if the former Conservative Prime Minister would be welcomed into the Reform ranks, Mr Farage told reporters: "I don’t think after the ‘Boriswave’, that’s very likely, do you?"
Responding to suggestions the right is split, Mr Farage replied: "If you say the right is split, I’ll tell you this- it is a lot less split this afternoon, than it was this morning.”
He later added: "What you’ve seen today is actually a very fascinating, historically, perhaps, significant reuniting of people on the centre-right."
Labour chair describes Robert Jenrick as 'shameless chancer'
Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said: "Robert Jenrick says the Tories broke Britain. Now he wants to do the same again with Farage’s Reform.
"He’s a shameless chancer who, like the other failed Tories who have scuttled off to Reform, are more interested in their careers than the country.
"With Jenrick in tow, Reform clearly wants to deliver the same chaos and decline he did while in government.
"While the Tories and Reform amongst themselves, Labour is delivering on the priorities of the British people and cutting the cost of living."
Robert Jenrick says the Conservative Party 'must end' to welcome Reform
Robert Jenrick said: "There are many millions of people in this country who voted Conservative at the last election. Perhaps they were often doing so through gritted teeth, perhaps it was a force of habit, perhaps they hoped that the Conservative Party would learn its lessons and change.
"My message to those people is you need to rally behind Nigel and Reform now.
"Because it is the only way we will get rid of this failing Labour Government and it is the only way we will get in a government that is capable, that has the will and determination to actually fix the country.
"And that, I’m afraid, does mean the end of the Conservative Party. It does mean people who share our values coming together and make sure he’s our next Prime Minister."
Nigel Farage says he is teaching Zia Yusuf 'the gift of forgiveness'
Nigel Farage has said he is teaching Zia Yusuf "the gift of forgiveness" over Reform's Head of Policy's "hatred" of the 2019 Conservative Government, of which Mr Jenrick was part of.
Nigel Farage says Robert Jenrick will bring 'a lot more people' to the party
Robert Jenrick officially joins Reform as Nigel Farage unveils latest defection
|PA
Nigel Farage said: "I believe today’s a big day in the realignment of the genuine centre-Right of this country. I think Rob coming will bring a lot, lot more people and voters to us. I think this is actually a very big moment.
"That’s why we talked about it for a long time. As I say, we’d agreed in principle this would happen but it wasn’t going to happen today or tomorrow or next week and it might not have happened.
"All the time in life we talk about deals, they either come to fruition for a variety of reasons or they don’t. He will be joining our front-line team.
"You will see over the course of the next few weeks jobs allocated to very senior people in our party."
Robert Jenrick says he won't call by-election
Robert Jenrick has confirmed he does not plan to call a by-election in his Newark seat.
The former Shadow Justice Secretary held onto his Nottinghamshire seat with a majority of 3,572, with Labour's Saj Ahmad in second and Reform's Robert Palmer in third.
He said: "I don’t intend to call a by-election. I’ll say this to you. I was elected at the last general election against every poll, all the MRP polls and whatever.
"That I believe is because my constituents knew that I stood up for them, I was willing to do things that were difficult, sometimes to be very independent-minded."
Nigel Farage insists Robert Jenrick has 'actually changed' as he confirmed defection deadline
Nigel Farage insisted Robert Jenrick had "actually changed" as he welcomed him to Reform UK.
He said: "There are plenty that want to come that we don’t want. But we’re bringing people who can add. And I’ve said to you already if people wanna come, they’d better let me know soon.
"Because after May 7 the doors are closed. Doors to defections after May 7.
"May 7 is this vital, pivotal, most important electoral moment between now and the next general election."
Robert Jenrick says 'Reform needs you' as he concludes speech
Robert Jenrick said: "For all these reasons, today, I am proud to join the more than two hundred and seventy thousand people who are members of Reform UK. To back Nigel. Join this incredible movement.
"A national movement that will pool Britain's talents, experience and expertise – put previous differences to one side – and deliver the real change we need. Turn around our country.
"At this hour, with Britain on the brink, in real danger, that is what we must do. If you agree with this, don't sit on the sidelines.
"Britain is broken. Britain needs Reform. And Reform needs you."
Robert Jenrick heaps praise on Nigel Farage
Robert Jenrick said: "Nigel Farage has stood, consistently, and often alone, for what's needed. Ending mass migration. Cheap energy. Cutting waste and taxes and red tape.
"I don't agree with everything he's ever said. And he definitely won't have agreed with everything I've ever said.
"But 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.
"When the first boats started crossing, who was in the Channel saying it was outrageous? They laughed at him. They're not laughing now. Nigel has stood for the real change we need for over a decade."
Robert Jenrick says 'I can't kid myself anymore' as he officially backs Reform
Robert Jenrick said: "I can't kid myself any more. The party hasn't changed and it won't. The bulk of the party don't get it. Don't have the stomach for the radical change this country needs.
"In opposition, it's easy to paper over these cracks. But the divisions, the delusions, are still there. If we don't get the next Government right, Britain will likely slip beyond the point of repair. Everything is on this.
"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. That's why I resolved to leave."
Robert Jenrick says both Labour and Tories are 'rotten'
Robert Jenrick said the Tories and Labour "rotten" as took aim at his former party.
He said: "The two main parties are rotten. They are no longer fit for purpose. They both broke Britain and neither can fix it.
"It’s a conclusion about the Conservative party that has pained me to reach because I’ve been a member of this party since I was 16 years old. I’ve served it most of my adult life. I have countless good friends in the party not least my own members in Newark.
"They are the most decent patriotic people I know and I respect, I cherish the party’s contribution to our country, the party of Pitt and Peel, of Churchill and Thatcher. But our country is in a precarious, dangerous position.
"My first loyalty, our first loyalty, must be to our country."
Robert Jenrick says Labour 'run Britain as if they hate it' in swipe at Keir Starmer
Robert Jenrick said: "I challenge anyone to argue other than that Britain is completely broken. Those that came before us built a great country, the greatest country in the world. But we are set to lose it.
"We will for certain if this Government gets re-elected.
"A suicidal energy policy, crushing workers to fund scroungers on benefits, unions running our public services, payouts to terrorists, prosecutions of veterans, the bravest of the brave.
"Nine hundred thousand migrants in their first year, 65,000 of them illegally. Ending jury trials, cancelling elections, giving away our territory and £35bn for the privilege. These people run Britain as if they hate it."
Robert Jenrick says Britain is 'in decline' as he officially joins Reform
Robert Jenrick has become Reform's newest MP
|GB NEWS
Robert Jenrick said: "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. It’s time for the truth. Britain has been in decline. Britain is in decline.
"From 1970 to 2007 real wages went down by one-third every 10 years. Since then they flatlined. At the turn of the millennium the average Brit was earning twice as much as the average Pole. By 2031 we are on track to be poorer.
"Outside of London and the south-east our economy is closer to Bulgaria’s than to Germany’s. Today 18-to-30-year-olds are the first Britons to earn less than their Britons.
"Houses cost more here than in any other OECD country. We have the highest energy prices in the developed world."
Nigel Farage confirms Robert Jenrick has defected to Reform UK
Nigel Farage has confirmed Robert Jenrick has defected to Reform UK, becoming the sixth MP for the party.
Nigel Farage confirms he had been talking to Robert Jenrick 'for some months'
Nigel Farage said he had been talking to Robert Jenrick for "some months."
He said: "I am not for a moment going to tell you that I have not been talking to a certain Robert Jenrick for some weeks, some months, as I’ve been talking to many, many other senior Conservative figures and incidentally some Labour ones as well.
"There’ll be a Labour defection next week which you’ll all be invited to"
Robert Jenrick says 'it's time for the truth' ahead of Reform UK press conference
Robert Jenrick has said "It's time for the truth" in a cryptic post on social media ahead of a Reform UK press conference.
Kemi Badenoch tells GB News Robert Jenrick is 'Farage's problem now'
Kemi Badenoch has said she does not want the Tory party to have "drama" as she suggested Robert Jenrick is Nigel Farage's "problem now."
She told GB News: "What I want to do is build a Conservative Party that doesn’t have the drama in it. We are the party of solutions, I believe Rob wants to go to Reform, they’re the party of problems.”
Mrs Badenoch said Nigel Farage “was caught out this morning."
She added: He is the one that gave us the clearest evidence yet. He admitted that he had been talking to Robert about the defection.
"All I would say to Nigel is Robert is not my problem anymore, he’s your problem now."
Kemi Badenoch reveals top Tory as replacement for Robert Jenrick: 'He is a true Conservative!'
Kemi Badenoch has confirmed Nick Timothy will replace Robert Jenrick as Shadow Justice Secretary.
Mr Timothy, the MP for West Suffolk and former Chief of Staff to Theresa May, will replace Mr Jenrick after he was sacked by the Conservative leader.
Kneecapping Robert Jenrick 'just made Kemi Badenoch's job a lot easier' writes Lauren McEvatt
Kemi Badenoch sacked Robert Jenrick
| GB NEWSLauren McEvatt has argued Kemi Badenoch's choice to sack Robert Jenrick will help the Tories in the long run.
Writing exclusively for GB News members, the former Tory special advisor said: It would be churlish to say that Jenrick isn’t a loss to our front bench; he is. He was a good media performer with a slick front bench operation.
"But there are others who will take his place; he wasn’t so overwhelmingly talented as to be irreplaceable entirely.
"Indeed, the bile he was planning to unleash about his now former colleagues on the way out the door would indicate that he was not quite the collegiate chum many of them had considered him to be."
How every party leader reacted to the sacking of Robert Jenrick - 'The Tory Party is a sinking ship!'
Sir Keir Starmer said: "Jenrick has been making toxic comments to try and divide our country for months, and months, and months, but it’s only now, when he’s on the verge of defecting to Reform, that Badenoch gets around to sacking him. So, that’s weakness on her part.
"There’s a bigger story here, because we’re seeing a flood of Tory politicians, ex-politicians, going across to Reform because they know that the Tory Party is a sinking ship.
"Equally, from Reform’s point of view, you’ve got Nigel Farage who is welcoming these failed politicians into his ranks and building his party as a party of the Tory politicians who let the country down so badly."
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: "I’m very surprised that this news is broken", adding he had talked to the former Shadow Justice Secretary, saying: "Was I on the verge of signing a document with him? No. But have we had conversations? Yes."
Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: "It wasn’t the racism. It wasn’t the rule breaking. It wasn’t the corruption. No Jenrick gets removed for plotting. Politics for too many leaders is just a game, and not a moral one. It’s why people are crying out for hope."
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described it as "one more rat is leaving the sinking ship...The Conservatives are out of ideas and Reform only has bad ones."
Kemi Badenoch sends rallying cry to Conservative members - 'You all deserve better'
Kemi Badenoch has sent an email to Conservative members explaining her decision to sack Robert Jenrick from the party.
In an email to party members, she said: "When I was elected leader I committed to doing politics differently. Disloyalty and dishonesty undermine trust in politics.
"They are also disrespectful to our party members, our councillors, MPs and most of all voters. You all deserve better."
ANALYSIS: Robert Jenrick's shock sacking gives Nigel Farage potential headache
GB News political editor Christopher Hope writes: "A big question for the next few hours: will Nigel Farage want to sign up Robert Jenrick to join Reform UK?
"The risk is that Jenrick becomes an immediate alternative power base in his new party.
"And what will Reform’s Zia Yusuf and other senior figures make of it? One Tory source just told GB News: 'Robert Jenrick is Nigel Farage’s problem now. The leadership battle in Reform has just stepped up.'
Former Tory Chancellor predicts incoming 'civil war' for Conservatives
George Osborne has warned Kemi Badenoch the sacking of Robert Jenrick could stem "the proper beginning of the civil war".
The former Conservative chancellor said on his Political Currency podcast: "Is Kemi Badenoch forcing [Jenrick’s] hand or has her hand been forced because he’d already made his decision? She’s certainly saying she’d seen evidence he was about to defect.
"Then that is the proper beginning of the civil war inside the Right about who is going to lead the Right, and what are Tory MPs going to do? Are they going to defect to Reform? Is the pressure going to grow to have an alliance with Reform?
“Or are they going to say, look, the Jenricks of this world can leave, but we think the future lies with the Tory Party…if [Kemi Badenoch] thinks the psychodrama is over, I’m afraid it’s just beginning."
The evidence was 'clear, compelling and damning' - Tory Chairman
Conservative Chairman Kevin Hollinrake said the evidence that Robert Jenrick was plotting to defect the party was "clear, compelling and damning".
He confirmed that the information had come form the Shadow Justice Secretary's "inner circle".
Mr Hollinrake would later say that he believes Mr Jenrick has his own ambitions at heart, rather than that of the Conservative Party.
He added that Kemi Badenoch was "calm and composed "but "angry" and "disappointed" on the betrayal.
Reform London Mayor candidate said she wouldn't want Robert Jenrick to join the party just last week
Reform's candidate for London Mayor said just last week she would not want Robert Jenrick to join the party.
"It was under him [Mr Jenrick] that the hotel migrant situation flourished," Laila Cunningham told the Telegraph.
She added that she was "sick and tired" of "calling out and offering solutions" to "problems they [Tories] caused."
"I think we need a fresh look on the country."
Ms Cunningham made it clear she was personally, and not on behalf of the party.
David Lammy says Robert Jenrick sacking shows Reform and Tories are 'one of the same'
Justice Secretary David Lammy has said that this morning shows that the Conservatives and Reform are "one of the same".
"This latest revolving door defection proves that Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives and Nigel Farage's Reform are one and the same," he wrote on X.
"The Parties of division, decline and easy answers."
The 13 Tories on ‘defection watch’ after Robert Jenrick sacked for 'plotting Reform switch'
Robert Jenrick could soon become Reform UK's sixth MP after Kemi Badenoch shocked Westminster by sacking her outspoken Shadow Justice Secretary.
Mr Jenrick, who previously rejected suggestions he was looking to join Nigel Farage's party, is now likely to have a conversation with the Reform UK leader about his future.
Mrs Badenoch took the decision to sack Mr Jenrick after it emerged the Newark MP had dinner with Mr Farage last month.
It has also been suggested that Mr Jenrick's team had left a copy of his "near final" resignation speech "lying around", sparking fears of a defection in the next 24 hours.
'I've never seen the Tories look so depressed,' says Labour MP
Paul Waugh, Labour MP for Rochdale, said the Tories looked "depressed" when news of Robert Jenrick's sacking was announced by Kemi Badenoch.
"I’ve never seen the Tories in the commons look so depressed when the news filtered through!" He told GB News.
'The latest sad soap opera episode,' says Labour Chairman
Labour Chairman, Anna Turley, has called Robert Jenrick's surprise sacking as "the latest sad opera episode" from the "chaotic" Tory Party.
Ms Turley added that the party is "sliding deeper and deeper into irrelevance."
"Kemi Badenoch was too weak to sack Robert Jenrick when he complained about not seeing white faces in Birmingham. She defended him over his disgusting comments while he was plotting to defect. That tells you everything you need to know about her judgement," she said.
"Badenoch has lost control of her party and the architects of 14 years of Tory failure are now scuttling off to inflict their same chaos through Farage’s Reform.
"With 23 ex-Tory MPs now swelling Nigel Farage’s ranks already, and apparently Jenrick to come, it’s clear that Reform are just a shop front for failed Conservatives that wrecked public services and made people poorer.
"While the Tories and Reform play political games and plot to inflict chaos and decline on Britain, Labour is focused on delivering real change for working people – through tackling the cost of living, bringing down waiting lists, and restoring pride in people’s communities again."
Former Tory Chief Whip backs Kemi Badenoch
The former Tory Chief Whip Sir Julian Smith has backed Kemi Badenoch's decision to sack Robert Jenrick.
Sir Julian wrote on X: "The Conservatives tried over many years to manage discontent however disloyal it was - that approach ultimately did not work.
"Robert is a highly talented man & this is a great shame but Kemi Badenoch is 100pc right to define much more clearly the terms & conditions of being part of the Conservatives team."
YouGov data shows voters intending to vote Reform UK are also likely to have favourable opinions of Robert Jenrick
A YouGov poll from October 2025 shows that those intending to vote Reform are as likely to have a favourable opinion of sacked Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick as Conservative voters.
Some 26 per cent of those intending to vote Conservative have a favourable opinion of Mr Jenrick, in comparison to 30 per cent of Reform voters.
Nigel Farage confirmed he had been in talks with the former Shadow Justice Secretary prior to his suspension and sacking this morning.
Kemi Badenoch 'didn't want to lose' Robert Jenrick
A Tory source has said that Kemi Badenoch "didn't want to lose Rob."
According to GuidoFawkes, when Jenrick was called with the allegations this morning he "said he knew nothing about it before slamming the phone down."
Robert Jenrick had ‘full speech and media plan prepared’, Tory MP claims
A senior Conservative MP and ally of Kemi Badenoch has claimed Robert Jenrick had "incontrovertible evidence" that Robert Jenrick was about to defect including a "full speech and media plan".
"We keep a close eye on everyone - we have people everywhere," the MP told the BBC.
Robert Jenrick sacked and suspended by Kemi Badenoch over ‘secret plot to defect’
Robert Jenrick has been sacked as Shadow Justice Secretary and suspended from the Conservative Party after being accused of secretly plotting to defect to Reform UK.
Mr Jenrick, who went up against Kemi Badenoch for the Tory Party leadership in 2024, had previously rejected suggestions that he was looking to join Reform UK.
However, Mrs Badenoch confirmed the Newark MP had been sacked, suspended and stripped of his Tory Party membership.
The Tory leader 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."
Reform insiders had become increasingly confident about pulling off a major defection coup.
Responding to Mr Jenrick's suspension, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: "I think virtually everybody is considering leaving the Conservative Party, yes.
"I think that's been in his mind, yes. I have little doubt that it's been in his mind," he added.
Reform appoint Lord Malcom Offord as leader in Scotland
Reform have appointed former Conservative peer Lord Malcom Offord has the party's leader in Scotland.
The move was confirmed by Nigel Farage in a press conference this morning.
Lord Offord defected from the Tories in December, and it has now been confirmed he will be leaving the House of Lords.
He had worked with the Conservative government on its trade negotiations with India.
Lisa Nandy becomes latest MP to demand West Midland Police chief's resignation
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has become the latest MP to call for the resignation of West Midlands Police chief Craig Guildford.
Ms Nandy said she is "astonished" that Chief Constable Guildford remains in his role after after his performance in the Home Affairs Committee last week.
"Having watched West Midlands Police contradict me, contradict this Government and contradict their own evidence in public over recent months, and seeing all of that laid bare in a report that the Home Secretary brought to this House yesterday, I do want to say to him that I believe it is astonishing that the chief constable remains in post and I hope he will seriously reflect," she said in the House of Commons.
The effects have had a "chilling effect" on the Jewish community and "on everybody who needs to have trust in our police services across this country," she added.
Foreign Office 'carefully considering' response after British diplomat expelled from Russia
The Foreign Office have said it is "carefully considering" its response after a British diplomat was expelled from Russia this morning.
Moscow’s foreign ministry said in a statement it had received information "regarding the affiliation of a diplomatic employee at the embassy with the British secret service".
In response, a spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: "This is not the first time the Kremlin has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff.
"Their targeting of British diplomats comes out of desperation and actions like this undermine the basic conditions required for diplomatic missions to operate.
"We are carefully considering our options in response."
Ellie Costello tears into Wes Streeting for ‘running scared of the electorate' over postponed elections: 'Disgraceful attack on democracy!'
GB News host Ellie Costello tore into a Labour MP over postponed local elections, accusing the Government of “running scared of the electorate” in what she branded a “disgraceful attack on democracy”.
Challenging Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Ellie said at least 27 councils are set to delay elections, meaning around four million people would be denied the right to vote.
“It’s being described as a disgraceful attack on democracy and it’s hard not to reach that conclusion,” she said, asking: “Are you running scared of the electorate?”
Mr Streeting pushed back, insisting Labour is not afraid of voters and said the right to vote is “fundamental”, arguing any delays must be a last resort and properly justified.
NHS waiting lists fall to lowest level since 2023
The waiting list for NHS hospital treatments has fallen to its lowest level since 2023.
An estimated 7.31million treatments, for 6.17million patients, were waiting to be carried out in November 2025. This is down from 7.4million treatments for 6.24million patients in October, and is the lowest since February 2023, which stood at 7.22million.
Some 156,483 people had been waiting more than a year for hospital treatment in England, the lowest since September 2020.
Additionally, 1,500 are estimated to have been waiting more than 18 months for treatment. This number is down from 1,716 in October and 2,054 in November 2024.
‘He should be gone by tonight!’ Wes Streeting urges West Midlands police chief to stand down after Israeli fan ban fury
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has piled pressure on West Midlands police chief Craig Guildford as calls grow on the senior officer to quit over his handling of the Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban.
Speaking to GB News, Mr Streeting said Mr Guildford should “do the right thing” and resign after misleading Parliament and the country.
Mr Streeting's intervention follows Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's devastating Commons statement on Wednesday.
She declared the chief constable no longer commands her confidence after a "damning" report into the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a match with Aston Villa last year.
Ofcom welcomes changes by AI chatbot Grok but insists 'investigations remain ongoing'
Regulator Ofcom have welcomed changes made by X's AI chatbot Grok, but insists that "investigations remain ongoing".
Keir Starmer confirmed in PMQs yesterday that X is complying to ensure UK law is not broken, although warned the Government is "absolutely determined to take action."
An Ofcom spokesman confirmed the Prime Minister's words from yesterday, saying: "X has said it’s implemented measures to prevent the Grok account from being used to create intimate images of people.
"This is a welcome development. However, our formal investigation remains ongoing. We are working round the clock to progress this and get answers into what went wrong and what’s being done to fix it."
First Scotland-wide political poll of 2026 published
The first Scotland-wide political poll of 2026 has been published - and its the SNPs who top the list with a resounding 61 total seats.
It's Labour and Reform who are neck-and-neck in second, both with 18 total seats, while Conservatives sit behind them with 12.
Nigel Farage - who has the highest "strongly approve" rating in Scotland at over 11 per cent - has never won a seat in the country.
Reform won their first Scottish council by-election in the ward of Whitburn and Blackburn in West Lothian last month.
Tories welcome economic growth but insist Chancellor has 'nothing to feel smug about'
The Tories have reacted to the news earlier this morning that the UK economy has grown by 0.3 per cent in November, following a fall of 0.1 per cent in October.
Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride has said: "Overall if you look at the picture of growth under this government, it is extremely weak.
"And of course any upward movement in growth is to be welcomed. But at the same time, you do have to see it in the context of what's been going on in the past, which is a flatlining economy, and indeed, over the quarter up to the end of November, 0.1 per cent is nothing to feel smug about if I was the chancellor."
He added that it is "due to her choices", and "the fact that she's not been gripping public spending, the benefits bill in particular", saying she has been "putting up taxes on hardworking people and businesses".
British diplomat expelled from Russia after being accused acting as spy
A British diplomat has been expelled from Russia after they were allegedly acting as a spy.
Moscow’s foreign ministry said in a statement this morning it had received information “regarding the affiliation of a diplomatic employee at the embassy with the British secret service”.
According to a translation of a post on its Telegram channel, the ministry said it had summoned British charge d’affaires Danae Dholakia to lodge a “strong protest” and inform her the diplomat was being expelled.
The diplomat has not been identified but must leave Russia within two weeks.
The ministry said Moscow would not “tolerate the activities of undeclared British intelligence officers in Russia”.
BREAKING: South East Water faces urgent investigation after 25,000 homes left without water
Regulator Ofwat has launched an investigation into South East Water after outages have left thousands without drinking water supply across Kent and Sussex.
On Wednesday evening, the latest outage, around 10,000 were left without water supply throughout the night.
The news came after the government asked the watchdog to review the company's licence.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey questioned Keir Starmer in Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, saying the water firm "keeps failing its customers over and over again" and asks if the government would "strip them of their licence".
The Prime Minister condemned the situation as "clearly totally unacceptable", adding that ministers have chaired daily emergency meetings during the crisis to "hold the company to account".
BREAKING: UK economy returns to growth despite caution over Rachel Reeves's Budget
Britain's economy expanded by 0.3 per cent in November, following an unrevised fall of 0.1 per cent in October 2025 and a growth of 0.1 per cent in September 2025.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirmed the growth this morning in its latest release of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures.
GDP measures economic growth by calculating the total monetary value of all final goods and services produced within Britain over a specific period.
Rachel Reeves lines up fierce defence of Keir Starmer amid leadership challenges as she vows: 'Labour is delivering reform!'
Chancellor Rachel Reeves dismissed leadership challenges to the Prime Minister last night in a fierce defence of her Downing Street neighbour.
Ms Reeves said she cannot see a "credible alternative" to Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister - and argued that the pair have a clear plan to "turn around the economy" after being elected in a "massive landslide" 18 months ago.
“In an unstable world, this Government is delivering the stability and investment and reform that is needed,” she told ITV.
“We’re delivering on our plan. I can’t see a credible alternative from anyone else. We stick to the plans, we’ll see the benefits.”
When asked if the “Starmer-Reeves duo” was “here to stay”, the Chancellor confirmed: “We are.”
Local Government Secretary Steve Reed: 'The public would support delaying elections - ask them!'
Steve Reed, writing in The Times, mounted Labour's defence to denying Britons a vote last night.
He said it would be pointless to push ahead with elections that would see "zombie" councillors voted in for a couple of years at most.
Under his plans, district and county councils will be merged into "unitary" councils responsible for delivering all local services.
"Ask the public if they think it’s a good idea to elect thousands of councillors to jobs that are set to be abolished," he said.
"Ask them if they want to protect local government duplication across the country - two chief executives, two sets of councillors, two finance officers and so on.
"Then tell them running a series of elections for short-lived zombie councils will be costly, time consuming and will take scarce resources away from frontline services like fixing potholes and social care.
"They would probably say: 'Don't do it.'"
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