{"id":373170,"date":"2026-01-16T11:28:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T11:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/373170\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T11:28:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T11:28:07","slug":"enough-already-jenricks-defection-gets-mixed-reception-from-reform-members-reform-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/373170\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Enough already\u2019: Jenrick\u2019s defection gets mixed reception from Reform members | Reform UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

If Reform UK was officially celebrating Robert Jenrick\u2019s defection to Nigel Farage\u2019s party<\/a>, the reaction of the rank-and-file was an altogether more complicated one \u2013 ranging from jubilation to despair that yet another Tory was coming onboard.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough already! Reform uk please take note, you are going to lose members and voters if you don\u2019t cap this craziness \u2026 We don\u2019t want a Tory party Pt II,\u201d was the early response from James Scott, one of a number of members expressing their unhappiness on one of the largest private Reform Facebook groups.<\/p>\n

After the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, broke the news that she was sacking her long-term rival from the frontbench and taking away the party whip for \u201cplotting\u201d, another Reform member commented: \u201cDon\u2019t do it, Nigel. If Jenrick joins Reform I\u2019m done I am a member of the party but will leave immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet such hostility to Jenrick<\/a> from Reform members appeared still to be in the minority, with the bulk of contributors to the same group and others rubbing their hands at the prospect of Reform chalking up its most senior Tory recruit yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always wanted Jenrick in the Reform party. He\u2019s a seasoned veteran of parliament,\u201d wrote one on a private Facebook forum used by members.<\/p>\n

\u201cFantastic news !! I am losing count of how many potential great future leaders are now in Reform,\u201d said Paul Rayner, posting on a public group established to celebrate Nigel Farage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"JenrickJenrick defects to Farage’s Reform UK | The Latest<\/p>\n

Speculation that the ambitious rightwinger could be about to ditch the Tories has long been a favourite topic across Reform social media groups, branch meetings and bar get-togethers.<\/p>\n

When it came, it took the membership by surprise \u2013 especially given they have become used to laughing as their leader ridiculed the previously remain-supporting MP<\/a> as \u201cRobert Generic\u201d.<\/p>\n

Reform\u2019s frontline elected representatives at some of the councils it now controls were no different.<\/p>\n

Among those on Nottinghamshire county council, one of several that the party took control of during last year\u2019s local elections and an area where Jenrick is an MP, there was trepidation about making any comment from several contacted by the Guardian.<\/p>\n

Most of the councillors were reluctant to go on the record, but the general view was that Jenrick would be welcome, and that one of the Conservative party\u2019s most ardent rightwingers \u2013 even one known for their ambition \u2013 would fit in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve literally been out all day making sure potholes are filled and doing casework so I haven\u2019t processed it properly yet but I know he is very experienced,\u201d said Rory Green, a Reform member of Nottinghamshire county council, after Badenoch\u2019s announcement. \u201cHe is a barrister and has been on cabinet nationally so that\u2019s positive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some Reform members think Jenrick\u2019s government experience will be an asset. Photograph: Thomas Krych\/ZUMA Press Wire\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

A Reform colleague on the same council, Dawn Justice, ventured that Jenrick was \u201cwell liked\u201d, but she needed to read more about the defection.<\/p>\n

Less shy about trumpeting Jenrick\u2019s arrival was Maxwell Harrison, a senior member of Reform\u2019s \u201cflagship\u201d Kent county council, who used a Facebook group to deliver a short speech in the style of Farage, saying: \u201cMake no mistake about it. This is a massive moment in our movement\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n

He invited followers to \u201clet me know what you think\u201d in comments, most of which appeared to endorse Jenrick, though some expressed concern about the number of Conservatives being welcomed by the party<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While Farage may have his work cut out to convince some members about Jenrick, an equally sceptical reaction may yet await in the upper echelons of the party.<\/p>\n

Zia Yusuf \u2013 Reform\u2019s head of policy and someone with a particularly difficult backstory in terms of his relationship with Jenrick \u2013 appeared a month ago to recognise the very real discontent among an unknown chunk of the party.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had many messages from Reform grassroots worried about former Tory MPs joining our party. I want to be clear to our Reform grassroots: YOU will be prioritised in candidate selection for our next class of MPs, NOT failed former Tory MPs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Zia Yusuf was a notable absence as Nigel Farage unveiled Robert Jenrick at Reform HQ Photograph: Anadolu\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

While Jenrick and Farage batted away journalists who brought up their previous criticism of each other<\/a>, tensions between Jenrick and Yusuf may be trickier to mend. Calling on Reform to give Yusuf \u201cthe boot\u201d last year, Jenrick had accused him of deliberately liking an X post from an anonymous account attacking the then Tory MP for having a Jewish wife and family.<\/p>\n

Yusuf had claimed it was liked \u201caccidentally\u201d by one of his team. Nevertheless, he was also a notable absence at the event unveiling Jenrick at Reform HQ on Thursday. Eyebrows were also raised when Farage \u2013 apparently half-jokingly \u2013 said that Yusuf was particularly resentful towards MPs who had been part of recent successive Tory governments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m teaching him forgiveness,\u201d the Reform leader added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If Reform UK was officially celebrating Robert Jenrick\u2019s defection to Nigel Farage\u2019s party, the reaction of the rank-and-file…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373171,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,391,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-373170","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-tv","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}