Robert Jenrick has launched a scathing attack on the Tories as he officially joined Reform UK just hours after being sacked by Kemi Badenoch.
Accompanying Nigel Farage on stage during a press conference, Mr Jenrick claimed "both Labour and the Conservatives broke Britain," and accused his former party of "ramping up" mass migration.
It comes hours after he was sacked by Kemi Badenoch who said the public was tired of "political psychodrama."
Mr Jenrick told reporters on Thursday: "Those that came before us built a great country, the greatest country in the world. But we are set to lose it.
"Both Labour and the Conservatives broke Britain, and both are now dominated by those without the competence or the backbone needed to fix it.
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"Both parties, if judged by their own actions, are committed to a set of ideas that have failed and are failing Britain.
"Labour started mass migration, but the Conservatives ramped it up after 2019."
Launching a scathing attack on his former party, Mr Jenrick said the Conservatives "don’t have the stomach for the radical change this country needs," and claimed they "are not sorry" about mistakes previously made in Government.
He said: "I can’t kid myself any more. The party hasn’t changed and it won’t. The bulk of the party don’t get it, don't have the stomach for the radical change this country needs.
"After the last general election, I made an argument to the Conservative Party, and in some respects, haven’t stopped making that argument that it failed the country, that it needed to be painfully honest about the mistakes that it had made.
"Over time, I’ve come to the painful conclusion to me, that the Conservative Party is not sorry, or at least many in Westminster are not sorry, can’t change and won’t change."
There was a lengthy delay between Reform UK Nigel Farage announcing Mr Jenrick had joined the party, and the ex-Tory’s arrival on the stage at the Westminster press conference.
During that period, Mr Farage joked that his new recruit had not backed out, telling the audience: "He hasn’t changed his mind. Kemi hasn’t called him and asked him back."
Throwing his support behind his new boss, Mr Jenrick added: "Nigel Farage has stood – consistently, and often alone – for what's needed.
"I don't agree with everything he's ever said and he definitely won't have agreed with everything I've ever said.
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"But in retrospect, I see that in this period when the two main parties were failing Britain, Nigel was all too often a lone voice of common sense.
"When the first boats started crossing, who was in the Channel saying it was outrageous. They laughed at him. They're not laughing now.
"Nigel has stood for the real change we need for over a decade.
"If anyone puts party allegiance - personal ambition - to one side, he is obviously the right person to lead the movement for the change we need.
"Recognising the situation the country is in, I reached out to Nigel in September. I could see then the Conservative Party wasn't changing.
"I didn't know then I was going to defect. We didn't discuss that. I just knew the responsible thing was to explore all options."
Addressing reporters on Thursday, Nigel Farage said he would “buy Kemi lunch next week and say thank you” as he confirmed Jenrick was joining the party.
It comes as Mr Jenrick was reported to have left material "lying around," which suggested his intentions to defect which included a speech and a "media plan."
Mr Jenrick claimed he told Kemi Badenoch and her team that "the Conservative Party needed to change fundamentally, starting by acknowledging the state of Britain and owning up to the role we played in getting in there."
He added: "I respect Kemi, but on all these issues, we were in different places.
"Let me be clear: They doubled down. I can't kid myself any more.
"The party hasn’t changed and it won’t.“The bulk of the party don’t get it. Don’t have the stomach for the radical change this country needs."
Mr Farage said: "I’ve had to think very quickly as to how I should respond to this, and I just want to say thank you to Kemi Badenoch, this is the latest Christmas present I’ve ever had.
“The negotiations with Jenrick are over. There’s nothing more to be said or to be done.
"You’ve handed me on a plate the man that is by far the most popular figure, 60% approval rating on ConHome.
"You’ve perhaps today, really done anything more than anybody in history to help realign the centre-right of British politics, which is much needed against a dreadful Labour Government and increasingly worrying extreme left-wing voice in this country.
"So I can’t offer you drinks all round, but I’ll buy Kemi lunch next week and say thank you. And on that note, I will welcome Robert Jenrick into this room and into Reform UK."
He added: "I think Rob coming will bring a lot more people and voters to us. I think this is actually a very big moment, and that’s why we talked about it for a long time.
"We’d agreed in principle this would happen, but it wasn’t going to happen today or tomorrow or next week, and it might not have happened, because deals, all the time in life, we talk about deals, they either come to fruition for a variety of reasons, or they don’t."
Mr Jenrick wil be "joining our front line team," the Reform leader added.
Nigel Farage said Mr Jenrick would be joining the "front line of the team.". Picture: Getty
Ms Badenoch earlier said she had sacked Mr Jenrick from the shadow cabinet, removed the whip and suspended his party membership, after he left material "lying around" that gave away his plans to defect.
Mrs Badenoch also announced that West Sussex Tory MP Nick Timothy, a former Home Office adviser to Theresa May, is taking on the Newark MP’s former shadow cabinet role.
Confirming she had removed Jenrick's Tory membership, Ms Badenoch said the public is tired of "political psychodrama."
I have sacked Robert Jenrick from the Shadow Cabinet, removed the whip and suspended his party membership with immediate effect.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) January 15, 2026
I was presented with clear, irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect in a way designed to be as damaging as possible to his… pic.twitter.com/zoSzFp0cKq
Posting on X: “I was presented with clear, irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect in a way designed to be as damaging as possible to his shadow cabinet colleagues and the wider Conservative Party.
"I was very sorry to be presented with clear, irrefutable evidence. Not just that he was preparing to defect, but he was planning to do so in the most damaging way possible to the Conservative Party and his Shadow Cabinet colleagues.
"It is my responsibility to protect our party. And faced with that information, I took the only decision that any responsible leader could.
"Because the British public are tired of political psychodrama. So am I. They saw too much of it in the last government. They're seeing too much of it in this government. I will not repeat those mistakes."
The Prime Minister also reacted to the earlier news that Mr Jenrick had been sacked from the Tories, accusing him of trying to "divide" the country,
Sir Keir Starmer said: "My question is, why did it take so long?"
"Jenrick's been making toxic comments to try and divide our country for months and months and months. It's only now when he's on the verge of defecting to Reform that Badenoch gets round to sacking him.
"So, that's weakness."
Announcing Mr Timothy as Mr Jenrick's successor, Ms Badenoch said: "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."
The move follows a wave of defections to Reform UK so far and Mr Farage told reporters that other MPs had the deadline of May 7 to follow suit - the date of the local elections in England and national elections in Wales and Scotland.
He said: "[There are] plenty that want to come that we don't want, but we're bringing people who can add.
"I have said you already, if people want to come, they better let me know soon, because after 7 May the doors are closed.
"Doors for defections are closed after 7 May."
It comes after former Tory Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi announced he was also joining the party, noting that Britain is “drinking at the last chance saloon."
He said on Monday: "And that’s why I’ve decided that I’m joining Reform."
Mr Zahawi stood down as an MP at the 2024 General Election after being sacked as Tory Party chairman for failing to disclose that HMRC was investigating his tax affairs.
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