In a stunning turn of events, Robert Jenrick, the Conservative MP for Newark, has announced his defection to the Reform UK party, leaving his long-time friend and local Conservative councillor Sam Smith in a state of shock.
Jenrick, who has been the MP for Newark since 2014, was sacked from the Conservative Party’s shadow frontbench on Thursday after “irrefutable evidence” emerged that he was planning to defect. The news caught many in the local Conservative Association off guard, with Smith, who had spearheaded Jenrick’s re-election campaign in 2024, saying he “couldn’t believe what I was reading.”
The announcement has sent shockwaves through the Conservative stronghold of Newark, a rural market town that has been Tory-dominated since 1979, with the exception of a four-year period from 1997 to 2001. Jenrick’s majority in the 2024 election had already taken a hit, with the Reform candidate taking 15% of the vote.
In a scathing press conference, Jenrick launched a blistering attack on consecutive Conservative governments, declaring, “Britain is broken. Britain needs Reform.” He also revealed that he had been in talks with Reform UK since September, a revelation that left Smith feeling betrayed. “I reflected on how many times we’d interacted as friends since September, which is many times in the pubs and on the streets, and to not say that and to not talk to me about it, it’s quite sad,” he said.
The reaction from voters in Newark has been mixed. Some, like 68-year-old Andrew Hind, who owns a butcher’s shop, said they would still vote for Jenrick under the Reform banner. Others, like local charity worker Catherine, criticised Jenrick for being “not interested” in the local area and failing to campaign to save Newark’s world-renowned courses in making stringed instruments.
Despite the shock and disappointment expressed by his former Conservative colleagues, Jenrick remains adamant in his decision to defect. For Smith, the loss of his friend and political ally is a bitter pill to swallow. “I have lost a friend,” he said. “If he didn’t defect yesterday … I would defend him to the hilt. I’m not going to sit here today and say I don’t respect him because I do.”
As the dust settles, the local Conservatives in Newark are determined to battle Jenrick for the seat in the next general election, with Smith vowing to strengthen the resolve of the party’s activists in the area.