What happens when an MP defects?

2026-01-23

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Robert Jenrick's defection prompted a lot of listener questions. So we'll try to answer them!Last week Robert Jenrick dramatically defected to Reform after being booted out of the Conservatives by a furious Kemi Badenoch. The Tory leader claimed that she had "irrefutable evidence" that Jenrick had been planning to defect in "the most damaging way possible". So she sacked him from the government and removed the Conservative whip.This prompted a lot of listeners to write in to Daily Politics with questions about the Jenrick...

Robert Jenrick's defection prompted a lot of listener questions. So we'll try to answer them!

Last week Robert Jenrick dramatically defected to Reform after being booted out of the Conservatives by a furious Kemi Badenoch.

The Tory leader claimed that she had "irrefutable evidence" that Jenrick had been planning to defect in "the most damaging way possible". So she sacked him from the government and removed the Conservative whip.

This prompted a lot of listeners to write in to Daily Politics with questions about the Jenrick defection, the future of Reform, and what it means for the Conservatives.

Megan Kenyon and Ethan Croft selected the best of your questions, and do their best to answer them in this listener questions edition of Daily Politics from the New Statesman.

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