Opponents label Jenrick a ‘chancer’ and a ‘charlatan’ as he defects to Reform – politics live

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In his speech Robert Jenrick attacked the Conservative party’s record on net zero, and singled out Mel Stride and Priti Patel for specific criticism. (See 5.01pm.)

Tory HQ have been going through his former tweets, and have highlighted these ones to journalists as new examples of his inconsistency.

From 2019

From 2024

From 2024

That is all from me for today. Nadeem Badshah is now taking over.

In the latest edition of the Guardian’s Today in Focus podcast, Lucy Hough talks to Archie Bland about the Robert Jenrick defection.

The Best for Britain campaign has launched a tracker keeping a tally of former Tories who have joined Reform UK. As well as former MPs, it includes councillors, donors, and candidates. So far there are 112 names on the list.

Nick Timothy appointed shadow justice secretary, replacing Jenrick

Kemi Badenoch has appointed Nick Timothy as the new shadow justice secretary. In an announcement on social media, she said:

Delighted to announce that @NJ_Timothy is the new Shadow Justice Secretary.

As an MP, Nick has led the way in revealing the failure of West Midlands Police Chief over the Maccabi football ban, and in opposing Labour’s sinister Islamophobia definition.

He is a true Conservative, brings a wealth of experience, and is a formidable campaigner.

Nick will be a massive asset to the Shadow Cabinet team as we continue to develop our plans for a stronger economy, stronger borders and a stronger country.

In his response, Timothy said:

Thank you, Kemi, for putting your trust in me.

It will be an honour to serve, and I can’t wait to get started.

Sorting our human rights laws and fixing our courts and prisons are huge jobs.

But first, we will fight Labour’s plans to curb jury trials.

Timothy worked as an adviser for Theresa May when she was home secretary, and then her co-chief of staff when she became prime minister. But he left after the 2017 general election because he was the principal author of the election manifesto that is credited for the Tories losing their majority – it included plans for social care reform that was dismissed by opponents as a “dementia tax”. He also wrote May’s 2016 party conference Brexit speech that committed to the UK to a hard Brexit without the cabinet’s agreement, or – according to some accounts – May even being fully aware for the significance of what she was saying.

And the Lib Dem verdict on Robert Jenrick is much the same as Labour’s. (See 5.52pm.) Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem deputy leader, said:

This was a conman introducing a charlatan. Robert Jenrick has an industrial-grade brass neck to be complaining about how broken Britain is, when it was him and his Conservative cronies who did such damage to our country and to trust and faith in politics.

Labour dismissses Jenrick as 'shameless chancer'

Anna Turley, the Labour chair, has issued this statement about Robert Jenrick’s defection.

Robert Jenrick says the Tories broke Britain. Now he wants to do the same again with Farage’s Reform. He’s a shameless chancer who, like the other failed Tories who have scuttled off to Reform, are more interested in their careers than the country.

With Jenrick in tow, Reform clearly wants to deliver the same chaos and decline he did while in government.

Farage admits he used to think Jenrick had no convictions, but he says he has now changed his mind

Q: You said in the past that Jenrick had no convictions.

“And I meant it,” Farage jokes.

But you know what? I’m allowed to change my mind.

I’m allowed to watch the progression and the journey …

I don’t trust any of them. Naturally, they have to prove to me that they are genuinely repentant.

I do think what this guy has done with the energy that he’s put into his journalism, into his YouTube videos, into his speeches in parliament … I’m talking to people who know him outside of politics, I’m convinced that he’s not that same person.

Asked if he is happy about that, Jenrick says that is politics.

Farage says Reform UK has already rejected “several” Tories how have applied to join.

Jenrick says that, when he woke up this morning, he had already decided to resign – but was not expecting to do it today.

UPDATE: Jenrick said:

I didn’t know I was going to leave today, but I had resolved to leave the party, and that was as I said, something I had given a great deal of thought to over a very long time, and fact that it’s happened a little bit sooner. So what?

In fact, it means I can get on with trying to help Nigel help Reform to succeed slightly sooner.

Asked again about defecting out of ambition, Jenrick says given that he was favourite to be next Tory leader, this would be an odd move if he was just motivated by ambition.

Jenrick defends lying to a journalist last about not planning to defect

Camilla Tominey from the Telegraph says last week she wrote a column about the chance of Jenrick defection. She says she was in contact with what she describes as “sources close to you”. They said he would never defect.

She is implying that she contacted Jenrick, and he lied to him.

Jenrick says:

It’s no surprise that if you phone me, I don’t have to tell you everything you want for your column.

Tominey is more direct, and says he was lying last week. She suggests that shows people are right to view him as untrustworthy.

Jenrick replies:

I’m very sorry to disabuse you, since I thought you were a very experienced journalist, but politicians don’t have to reply to all the text messages, so they get sent by journalists. And I wasn’t going to give you the exclusive news of my decision.

But if you’re asking me the question about honesty, nobody in the Conservative party was more honest about the failings of the last conservative government than me.

Farage says what they are seeing today is a historic reuniting of people on the centre right.

Asked about Jenrick’s failures in government, Farage says in business it is normal for people to have some failures before they succeeed. He is interested in people who can learn from failure.

Farage says his talks with Jenrick pre-defection focused on what role Jenrick would have in team

Q: You talked about deals. So what was Jenrick offered?

Farage says:

I haven’t offered him a rank. I haven’t offered him a title. I haven’t offered him a position. I haven’t offered him money or anything like that.

We were in conversation, actively in conversation, as to what the best fit was for Robert as part of the front team, joining the people you see in front of you.

And a cynic would say his position was weakened. But you know what? I’m carrying on the conversation now in exactly the same spirit as I did before.

Q: Would you accept Kemi Badenoch?

Farage says let’s see. But he again urges Tories to defect before 7 May.

But he does not think Badenoch will be applying, he says.

Q: Last summer you said Zia Yusuf should be kicked out of Reform. How will you smooth over relations?

Jenrick says people say all sorts of things. He has been called worse. He says he has the highest respect for people who have built this party.

Farage says Yusuf blames everyone involved in the 2019 Tory government; he claims he is teaching him the virtues of forgiveness.