On Thursday 15 January, it was announced that the leader of the Conservatives, Kemi Badenoch, had sacked her shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick for, “plotting in secret to defect in a way designed to be as damaging as possible”. Jenrick also had the whip removed, effectively ending his tenure as a Conservative MP. Later that same day, Jenrick was unveiled as Reform UK’s newest MP by party leader, Nigel Farage.
The story is a good example of one which can be used in a variety of ways in your A level, in both the UK Politics and UK Government papers.
1.2 – Political parties
Robert Jenrick was not just any Conservative MP, or shadow cabinet member. He was Kemi Badenoch’s rival for the party leadership in the 2024 contest that proceeded the general election. He had led in the first two rounds of MPs’ votes, and finished that stage of the contest just one vote behind Badenoch. In the vote of the party membership he polled a very credible 43.5%, which gives some indication of his popularity within the party.
Since the leadership election, Jenrick has sought to keep up a high public profile, most noticeably on social media by challenging people on the London Underground over fare evasion – a stunt designed to highlight disorder and lawlessness in the Labour-run capital. At October’s Conservative conference, he criticised what he called ‘activist judges’ and promised that a future Conservative government would give more power to ministers to fill judicial appointments.
Jenrick, who was regularly voted as the most popular member of the shadow government by the influential Conservative Home website, had been seen by many as the next leader of the Conservatives, even if some saw his move to the right on many issues – particularly on immigration – as a precursor to a defection to Reform UK. In December, Jenrick dismissed reports of any sort of pact between the Tories and Reform, saying that they were ‘two distinct political parties’.
By sacking Jenrick before he was able to resign, as Badenoch has claimed was the case, she has sought to avoid the public humiliation of an MP crossing the floor to join a rival party, as happened with Danny Kruger in September 2025. In a week when the Conservatives also saw the high profile defection of former MP and minister, Nadhim Zahawi, the pre-emptive move appeared to be about damage limitation for Badenoch, at a time when the polls had started to show an uptick in support.
However, when Jenrick was unveiled as Reform UK’s sixth MP just a few hours later, those hopes were dashed. His parting words were quite damning for the Conservatives. He said that the Conservatives (and Labour) were ‘no longer fit for purpose’, whilst calling Farage ‘the right person to lead the movement for change Britain needs’.
The news of Jenrick’s defection will be a significant blow for the Conservatives. To lose such a popular figure has the potential to weaken Badenoch’s position as leader, and it will give further fuel to the argument that the Conservative and Reform are becoming interchangeable.
However, during Jenrick’s unveiling, Nigel Farage hinted that a significant defection from Labour could also be expected next week. Whether this plays out or not is yet to be seen, but being able to win over support from both the established parties would be a significant boost for Farage and help to avoid accusations of being the Conservatives 2.0.
By recruiting Zahawi and Jenrick in the same week, Reform UK have gained figures with significant ministerial experience, which is crucial for their attempts to reassure the electorate they have the capability of governing. For the Tories, the aim will be to avoid a steady flow of defections, but this may prove difficult. It may even become the sole measure on which Badenoch’s tenure as leader is judged.
2.2 – Parliament
It is often seen as a peculiarity of the UK system that an MP can change parties without the need to trigger a by-election and test what their constituents think about the decision. The political term for changing parties during a Parliament is “crossing the floor”, and it is unusually common. Famous historic examples include Winston Churchill and Joseph Chamberlain, while more recent examples include Natalie Elphicke and Danny Kruger.
The vast majority of MPs who have crossed the floor have done so without forcing a by-election. Historically, only two have resigned and forced by-elections: Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless, who both left the Conservatives to join UKIP in August and September 2014. At the time, there was a sense that this might create a new parliamentary convention—dubbed the “Carswell Convention”—but this failed to materialise when other MPs crossed the floor.
Jenrick’s crossing of the floor is not as dramatic as the indications suggest he planned. The hastily convened news conference with Farage and Jenrick lacked polish. Jenrick represents the constituency of Newark. As a Conservative at the last election, he won the seat with a majority of 3,562. If he had stayed as a Conservative MP, it is likely he would have retained the seat without much trouble. However, many of his constituents are furious at his defection and his failure to check that he has a mandate for it from them. There is no guarantee that Jenrick wins this seat in 2029, with one option being a move to a safer seat for Reform UK.
A number of MPs have tried to force a change to the law to require that any MP who changes party during a Parliament must resign and fight a by-election. In 2020, Anthony Mangnall proposed the Recall of MPs (Change of Party Affiliation) Bill, which would have triggered a recall petition if an MP changed party; however, it did not progress to Second Reading.
Consequently, Jenrick’s seat remains safe for now. Whether it remains so at the next general election is a different matter.