Robert Jenrick had already been sacked by Kemi Badenoch after she saw evidence that he was plotting a defection

Robert Jenrick has officially confirmed that he is joining Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in a move that leaves Nottinghamshire without a single Conservative MP for the first time in more than 50 years.

The Newark MP said at a press conference organised by Reform on Thursday (January 15): “Britain has been in decline. Britain is in decline.

“From 1970 to 2007, real wages went down by one third every 10 years. Since then, they’ve flatlined.”

Mr Jenrick also went on to describe parts of Britain’s economy as being “closer to Bulgaria”, said “terrorists” had “broken into Britain on small boats” and said many communities in Britain were now “totally unrecognisable” after a “profound” change in the population.

Speaking about his role as Newark MP, Mr Jenrick said: “My constituents in Newark feel this decline every day. It’s a great historic town.

“It is the honour of my life to represent it and to represent them in Parliament. They are the best of our country.”

It marks only the second time in the Conservative Party’s history that it has been without a single representative for the whole of Nottinghamshire in Parliament.

Party leader Kemi Badenoch confirmed earlier on Thursday that she had sacked Mr Jenrick from her shadow cabinet and suspended his party membership after seeing “irrefutable” evidence that he was plotting a defection.

Nottinghamshire Live has been told that among the “irrefutable” evidence was a speech found on a printer announcing Mr Jenrick’s defection to Nigel Farage’s Reform.

Yet Nigel Farage, who had to ad-lib some remarks at Thursday’s press conference after Mr Jenrick appeared slightly late, said: “I had been talking to Robert Jenrick.

“I had been talking to many other people as well. Let me make it absolutely clear that when it leaked out of Robert Jenrick’s office that he’d been preparing some notes and thoughts, he wasn’t going to join at 4.30pm today.

“I’m sorry Kemi, you’ve jumped the gun. He wasn’t going to join tomorrow, he wasn’t going to join next week. In fact, he might not have joined at all.

“I think on balance, it’s 60/40 that he would have done, but you never know until the deal is signed and the hand is shaken. The Conservative Party have jumped the gun on this.”

The press conference held later on Thursday then confirmed that Mr Jenrick had joined Farage’s party. It means Nottinghamshire now has two Reform MPs.

It also means the Conservatives are without a single Nottinghamshire MP for the first time since just before the general election of 1970.

Nottinghamshire is instead now represented by nine Labour MPs alongside Reform’s Lee Anderson in Ashfield and Mr Jenrick in Newark, with Mr Anderson sitting in the front row for Thursday’s press conference.

The Conservative Party is also without a single Nottingham city councillor and is only in charge of one Nottinghamshire authority, in the shape of Rushcliffe Borough Council.

The party’s most prominent representation is now at Nottinghamshire County Council, where it forms the main opposition group to the Reform UK administration of Mick Barton.

Sam Smith, the leader of that opposition group, has been close personally and politically to Robert Jenrick for years, but has said he will “absolutely not” be following him to Reform.

It is understood that Councillor Smith could instead mount a bid to become the Conservative Party’s candidate for Newark at the next general election, which would pit him against his former ally.

Councillor Smith said: “I’m absolutely gutted. Gutted for Newark and gutted as a friend of Rob’s.

“During his time as our Conservative MP, Rob has worked successfully with us Conservative councillors to get stuff done for residents.

“That’s why I campaigned so hard for Rob in the general election – together we’ve delivered for my Newark East division and I remain focused on doing exactly that.”

The chairman of Newark Conservatives, Councillor Keith Girling, said: “Kemi Badenoch was absolutely right to take this decisive action when faced with irrefutable evidence that Robert Jenrick was plotting to defect in the most damaging way possible.

“Jenrick has let down his party, let down the activists who campaigned for him as a Conservative MP, and let down the voters of Newark who re-elected him in 2024.

“Newark Conservatives remain focused on exposing the disastrous failings of this Labour government, holding to account Reform’s poor performance at County Hall and our hard-working Conservative councillors continue to work hard to deliver on the priorities of local residents in all communities across the Newark constituency. Anything else is a distraction.”