Kemi Badenoch warned Tory MPs she has no time for ‘psychodrama and intrigue’ tonight as she suggested disgruntled MPs can follow Robert Jenrick and Andrew Rosindell out the door.
After the two shadow ministers defected to Reform Mrs Badenoch sent a punchy letter to MPs warning them not to repeat the mistakes made when the Conservative were last in power.
The period up to the 2024 election was marked by factional infighting and Ms Badenoch, in the letter seen by the Mail, said sort of behaviour ‘will not be tolerated’.
As she prepares to meet with MPs from the right of the party tonight she said the departure of the two men were less about political ideology than they were about their ‘character’.
‘We are THE party of the right and must remain so,’ she wrote.
‘Differences of opinion are part of a healthy party. But there is a clear line between disagreement and trying to damage the party from within.
‘Those who cannot be part of a Conservative Party that is changing in this way are free to make other choices.
‘Those who want to undermine or destroy the party will be dealt with firmly and fairly. There will be no hard feelings about that as they will create space for those who share our values and purpose.’
It came after Mr Jenrick warned Conservative MPs wanting to follow him to Reform to act quickly or face not being allowed in.
After the two shadow ministers defected to Reform Mrs Badenoch sent a punchy letter to MPs warning them not to repeat the mistakes made when the Conservative were last in power
The former shadow justice secretary, who switched parties on Thursday, said Nigel Farage’s party would not accept ‘Johnny-come-latelies’ after May’s local elections
Andrew Rosindell, also a former shadow minister under Kemi Badenoch, posed with his new boss outside Parliament after crossing the floor last night
The former shadow justice secretary said Nigel Farage‘s party would not accept ‘Johnny-come-latelies’ after May’s local elections, as the leader unveiled the newest defector to his ranks.
Mr Farage claimed the ‘centre right is uniting’ as he welcomed Mr Rosindell, 59, to Reform UK.
The former shadow foreign minister under Kemi Badenoch posed with his new boss outside Parliament today after crossing the floor last night.
He adds to the growing number of Conservative MPs, past and present, who have decided their chances are better with Reform.
Mr Farage has set May 7 – the date of crucial local elections in which they hope to make significant gains – as a cut-off point for admitting current and former MPs, as well as for local councillors to defect.
Speaking to GB News today Mr Jenrick, who joined Reform on Thursday after being booted out by Ms Badenoch, said: ‘If there are other Conservative MPs who share the values and the principles of Reform who want to turn the country around and fix it, then I’m sure Nigel would welcome into the party, but he has said, and he’s absolutely right to do so that this is going to have to happen quickly.
‘After the May elections, then the door closes and Reform moves on. It can’t be that people just make up their mind, or Johnny-come-latelies to this.’
It came as Mrs Badenoch summoned her remaining Tory MPs to a meeting in Westminster tonight.
Mr Rosindell became the second Conservative MP to jump ship in the space of a week after Robert Jenrick defected on Thursday.
He said he was persuaded to resign as a shadow foreign office minister in Kemi Badenoch’s front bench because of the ‘failure’ of the Conservative Party ‘on the issue of Chagossian self-determination’.
Speaking to reporters in Westminster, Mr Farage said: ‘Another shadow cabinet member has joined us.
‘I’ve known Andrew for over 25 years. We’ve always got on very, very well.’
Mr Rosindell has been a Conservative MP for Romford since 2001.
He told reporters Mr Farage ‘has to be our next prime minister’.
Speaking about the Government’s decision to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, he said: ‘It’s a total failure of the British state to protect British interests.
‘The Conservative Party and the Labour Party have played a part in this, and I can’t put my name to it ever.
‘I repudiate what has happened, and that’s one of the reasons I decided this weekend to join Nigel and reform UK. This man has to be our next prime minister.
‘Our country needs reform. It needs change, and we need to rescue our nation and the calamity of this socialist government.’
Asked how his former colleagues had reacted to his defection, he said: ‘I have many, many friends in the Conservative Party… they’ve all been incredibly kind.
‘They understand why I’ve done this. I have no malice towards my friends in the Conservative Party.’
Mr Rosindell said he had not spoken to Mrs Badenoch since his announcement, but wishes her ‘all the best personally’.
A Conservative Party source said previously that Mr Rosindell had threatened to defect for months, but denied he was doing so until as recently as Saturday.
They said it was another example of Mr Farage doing Mrs Badenoch’s ‘spring cleaning’, in reference to her comments after Mr Jenrick’s defection.
