Kemi Badenoch two-word message to Nigel Farage over Tory turncoat Robert Jenrick
Kemi Badenoch’s comments come after she caught wind of Robert Jenrick’s planned move and sacked him from the Shadow Cabinet in a day of extraordinary political drama
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch sacked Robert Jenrick on Thursday(Image: PA)
Kemi Badenoch has thanked Nigel Farage for doing her “spring cleaning” – after Tory turncoat Robert Jenrick defected to Reform UK.
The Tory chief’s comments come after she caught wind of Mr Jenrick’s planned move and sacked him from the Shadow Cabinet on Thursday in a day of extraordinary political drama. Hours later Nigel Farage welcomed the 24th ex-Tory MP to his party’s ranks – despite previously dismissing Mr Jenrick as a fraud and a man with no convictions.
During a series of interviws today Ms Badenoch claimed the ex-Shadow Justice Secretary “tells a lot of lies” and and that you “can’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth”.
Pressed repeatedly whether Mr Jenrick was a “traitor”, Ms Badenoch told Sky News today: “Robert Jenrick is not my problem anymore – he’s Nigel Farage’s problem now.”
READ MORE: Robert Jenrick and Nigel Farage’s jaw-dropping insults to each other as he joins Reform
She added: “I’m thrilled because Nigel Farage is doing my spring cleaning for me. The problems are leaving the Conservative Party and they are going to Reform.” Told she was downplaying the significance of the blow of the defection, Ms Badenoch said the public were not interested in the Tory “psychodrama”.
She later added: “If they’re people who do not belong in our party, who think that it’s all a game and that people’s lives are a game, they just want all this psychodrama, then yes, they should go. We don’t want people like that in the Conservative Party.”
Top Labour minister Pat McFadden said there was “the same chaos and drama” on the right of politics as when the Conservatives were in power. He told Times Radio: “I don’t think what we’ve seen in the last few days is evidence of the right starting to unite.
“On the contrary, I think it’s evidence that we’re seeing more of the same chaos and drama that’s been happening on the right, which so dominated our politics during the 14 years of the Conservatives’ period in power.”
He said Labour was focused on improving public services, adding: “These are not things that can be done with politicians engaged in an endless civil war.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves added on Friday that Mr Farage’s boast of a Labour defection to Reform next week should be taken “with a pinch of salt”. Asked whether she was worried or if it was her, the Chancellor told ITV Tyne Tees: “Nigel Farage says a lot of things and I think we should all take those with a pinch of salt.”
