'A snake in the grass' How Badenoch got the jump on Jenrick - and Farage got his highest profile defection yet

Four days before Robert Jenrick was kicked out of the Conservative party for planning to defect to Reform UK, he spoke “at length” with Kemi Badenoch on the phone about the party’s strategy.

- Pippa Crerar Jessica Elgot Rowena Mason

The Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, seemed caught on the hop when he was asked about Robert Jenrick on a visit to Kirkcaldy. He said no deal had been done with the former shadow justice secretary

(MURDO MACLEOD/THE GUARDIAN)

The week before, he had sat through a shadow cabinet away-day taking copious notes.

While the Tory leader had been aware for some time of speculation over her shadow justice secretary’s future, she had no hard proof of his plans. That changed just 24 hours after their conversation.

On Monday, senior figures in Badenoch’s office were sent screenshots of what one said was “irrefutably” Jenrick’s entire resignation speech, along with the accompanying media plan.

His speech, double spaced for easy reading, implored his fellow Tories to defect with him as their party had “lost its way”, singling out senior figures such as Priti Patel and Mel Stride for criticism. He added that Nigel Farage was the “right person” to lead the country.

Despite all the rumours, the Tory leader’s team were still shocked by the betrayal.

Jenrick’s aides had been openly speculating at party events about when he would choose to defect. “It was all presented jokingly, but of course it wasn’t a joke. We all thought he would wait until May to see if he still had a chance to depose Kemi. But it became more and more obvious that is not going to happen,” one party source said.

Shortly after receiving the screenshots, a journalist who is close to, and trusted by, the Badenoch operation said they had heard from a close friend of Jenrick that he was definitely making the leap, sources told the Guardian.

Badenoch’s aides were aware that Farage was due to appear on the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg show this Sunday, and feared he would drop heavy hints before announcing the defection the next morning, to maximise the damage.