Live: Farage unveils ex-Tory Jenrick as new Reform UK defector after shock sacking by Badenoch

Former shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has joined Reform UK, Nigel Farage has announced.

Mr Farage thanked Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, saying she had “handed him on a plate” the man who had “done more than anything in history” to realign centre-right politics, as he unveiled Mr Jenrick as a new member.

Ms Badenoch sacked him from the shadow cabinet after she said she had received “clear, irrefutable evidence” that her former leadership rival was planning to leave the party “in a way designed to be as damaging as possible to his shadow cabinet colleagues and the wider Conservative Party”.

She added that Mr Jenrick had had the whip removed and his party membership had been suspended.

Tory ex-business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was crucially important that evidence was provided of notes reportedly in a speech that were heavily critical of colleagues.

Last month, Mr Jenrick insisted he “wasn’t going anywhere” when asked about a possible defection.

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