Robert Jenrick: 'Reform now look like second choice'
15 January 2026
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has from the Shadow Cabinet after allegations he was set to defect from the Conservative Party.
Dr Miriam Sorace, from the Â鶹´«Ã½'s Department of Politics and International Relations, comments on Robert Jenrick's dismissal.
"Sacking Robert Jenrick looks like a textbook attempt by Kemi Badenoch to project party unity and strength. Without swift action, the Conservatives would likely have appeared weaker.
"Optics matter - research shows party disunity is heavily penalised by the public, so party leaders need to act decisively to signal cohesion. Badenoch’s move seems driven by this logic.
"It also reframes Jenrick’s shift. Rather than potentially joining Reform from the ‘heights’ of the shadow cabinet, he would now have to do so out of necessity, which would make him look weaker, and Reform a second choice."
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