'With the two main parties failing Britain, Nigel was all too often a lone voice of common sense'

ROBERT Jenrick has dramatically defected to Reform UK after being sacked by Kemi Badenoch, as the battle for the Right of British politics exploded into open warfare.

- - BY MARTYN BROWN

Mr Jenrick unleashed excoriating attacks on Tories he had left behind as he joined his new party boss Nigel Farage yesterday, praising his "lone voice of common sense".

The one-time Housing Secretary claimed that the Conservative Party was "rotten" - and he urged more MPs to jump ship.

In a scathing verdict on the party, which he declared had "failed so badly", Mr Jenrick said the Tories "are not sorry" about "mistakes" they made while in government.

He also unleashed a savage assault on ex-colleagues including Sir Mel Stride and Dame Priti Patel.

But Mrs Badenoch passed her own withering judgment on the man she had just dismissed as Shadow Justice Secretary, saying he was "no longer my problem".

The Tory leader said that his departure was a "good day" for the Conservatives. She revealed that Mr Jenrick told her just a few days ago that he had no plans to defect, while "clearly plotting to do so".

She added: "Actually, what I see is Robert Jenrick is no longer my problem, he is now Nigel Farage's problem. It is not a blow to lose someone who lies to his colleagues.

"This has been a good day...bad people are leaving my party." Mr Jenrick her former leadership rival - becomes Reform's sixth MP and is the most high-profile Tory yet to switch sides.

His explosive remarks came hours after Mrs Badenoch ruthlessly kicked him out following the discovery of "irrefutable evidence" he was plotting to defect.

She accused him of planning to "torch" the Conservative Party "in a way designed to be as damaging as possible".