Inside Robert Jenrick and Nigel Farage’s poisonous beef as ‘fraud’ tipped to affix Reform
Nigel Farage has previously branded Robert Jenrick a ‘fraud’ and accused him of becoming a hardliner for political gain – but admitted he has held talks about a defection
Nigel Farage takes aim at Robert Jenrick in Reform UK speech
Robert Jenrick is expected to be unveiled as Reform UK’s latest Tory recruit after he was sensationally sacked by Kemi Badenoch.
The furious Tory leader said she had uncovered “irrefutable” evidence that her Shadow Justice Secretary was plotting a defection. And Nigel Farage confirmed that he has held talks with the former Immigration Minister.
But if the move does go ahead, Mr Farage will face awkward questions about some of the things he has previously said about failed Tory leadership candidate Mr Jenrick.
READ MORE: Keir Starmer baits Nigel Farage over ‘laundry service of disgraced Tories’READ MORE: Robert Jenrick SACKED by Kemi Badenoch and booted out of Tory party over ‘secret plot’
Mr Jenrick is widely held responsible for the asylum hotels debacle, with numbers rocketing on his watch. He was Immigration Minister when the number of people in hotels hit a massive 56,000, and in 2022 he bragged: “More hotels have been coming online almost every month throughout the whole year.
“What I have done is procure even more.” Sharing the quote in August last year, Mr Farage wrote: “Jenrick is a fraud. I’ve alway thought so, this quote proves it.”
And after Mr Jenrick intervened as tensions rose in Epping last summer over the use of an asylum hotel, Mr Farage took another shot at him, writing: “When Robert Jenrick was immigration minister he grew the number of illegal migrants living in free hotels to 56,000. He is no friend of Epping.”
In response, Mr Jenrick replied: “You’re rattled.” Mr Jenrick was initially a Tory centrist who voted against Brexit, but moved further to the right as a Home Office minister under Suella Braverman.
Mr Farage was far from convinced with his conversion in 2024, when he was challenging for the Tory leadership, however. He said: “Formerly a man that believed in nothing, Robert Jenrick now pitches himself as the great hardliner.
“This is almost certainly done for political gain and not out of conviction. He will divide the party. I doubt that Jenrick will last long if he wins.”
And just last week Reform’s London mayoral candidate Laila Cunningham said she had no desire to see him. He told the Daily T podcast: “It was under him [Jenrick] that the hotel migrant situation flourished. You know, we had a peak amount of hotels.”
But speaking at a press conference in Edinburgh after Mr Jenrick’s sacking, the Reform UK leader said: “Of course, I’ve spoken to Robert Jenrick.
“Was I on the verge of signing a document with him? No. But have we had conversations? Yes.”
He went on to say: “I’ll give him a ring this afternoon. I might even buy him a pint.”
