Robert Jenrick was described as \u201cthe new sheriff in town\u201d and the politician needed by Reform to give them experience and political \u201cheft\u201d, according to a leaked media plan for his defection prepared by his aides.<\/p>\n
The emergence of the document, which also describes Jenrick as \u201cthe most dynamic politician in the Conservative party\u201d, came as Zia Yusuf, Reform UK\u2019s head of policy, hailed the defection, after days of silence from one of Nigel Farage\u2019s key aides.<\/p>\n
Allies of Jenrick said the document, obtained by Kemi Badenoch\u2019s office and passed to newspapers, was not written by him. However, extracts of it, reported by the Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday, appear to show he had annotated it in his own handwriting.<\/p>\n
Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, who came second to Badenoch in the battle to succeed Rishi Sunak as Tory leader, announced his defection to Reform<\/a> on Thursday, after Badenoch learned of his plans and said he had been sacked and stripped of the party whip.<\/p>\n The Conservative party leader, Kemi Badenoch, sacked Jenrick last week. Photograph: Anadolu\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The Conservative leader learned of his plans after obtaining a copy of a speech Jenrick had prepared for his defection, with the media plan seemingly being obtained at the same time.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re the new sheriff in town, here to provide experience and political heft to Reform\u2019s operation so the country can be fixed,\u201d read one line of apparent advice to Jenrick.<\/p>\n The six-page memo, which also gives ideas for responses to specific questions Jenrick might face after the defection, talked up the supposed significance of the decision by the Newark MP to move parties.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re the biggest defection story Reform has ever had (and likely ever will),\u201d it told him. \u201cThe most popular Tory shadow cabinet member, leader in waiting if Kemi ever fails, and the most dynamic politician in the Conservative party.\u201d<\/p>\n While it emerged that Jenrick had been talking to Farage for some months, not all Reform members welcomed<\/a> the arrival of yet another former Conservative, days after the arrival of<\/a> the former Tory cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi.<\/p>\n Yusuf was the only senior Reform figure not at Thursday afternoon\u2019s press conference with Jenrick, and he did not tweet about Jenrick\u2019s move, instead repeatedly noting Reform\u2019s deadline of 7 May for any other defections.<\/p>\n Zia Yusuf said Jenrick is \u2018clear-eyed about all of the different ways the Tories betrayed this country\u2019 Photograph: Matthew Chattle\/Future Publishing\/Getty Images<\/p>\n But asked about the defection on Sunday, Yusuf told Sky News he was happy to see Jenrick arrive \u2013 while indicating he had not known about the plans in advance.<\/p>\n Asked if he had any role in the negotiations, Yusuf said: \u201cI had dinner with him on Thursday night, the day he defected. My assessment is that this is a man who is thoughtful, who is clear-eyed about all of the different ways the Tories betrayed this country, and wants to help Nigel, help me, help Richard [Tice] and everyone at Reform repair that damage.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I also think it\u2019s crystal clear that him arriving at Reform makes it more likely that we win the next general election.\u201d<\/p>\n Reform have also promised the defection of a \u201cwell known\u201d figure from Labour, to be announced next week. Asked by the BBC whether it would be Kate Hoey, the former Labour MP who left the party more than seven years ago, Tice, Reform\u2019s deputy leader, refused to say.<\/p>\n