Nigel Farage has picked Robert Jenrick as his ‘shadow chancellor’ (Image: Thomas Krych/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)

Mr Jenrick had served as Kemi Badenoch’s Shadow Justice Secretary but was sacked in January – hours before he pledged his allegiance to Reform. He will serve as Chancellor if Mr Farage becomes Prime Minister.

Thirty-four-year-old Ms Lam said: “It is sad, and it is hurtful when anybody, when any voter, when any councillor, an MP leaves the party to go anywhere else. It’s particularly difficult when somebody is being quite dishonest for quite a long time. It is really difficult if, you know, when you’ve been at events and you’ve heard somebody say all of these things that clearly can’t really have been true.”

Robert Jenrick and Katie Lam were once allies (Image: Getty Images)

Mr Farage has set a deadline of Thursday’s local election for defectors to come across.

Katie Lam is widely tipped for promotion (Image: Philip Coburn)

Mr Lam captured attention as a new MP for her forthright attacks on grooming gangs.

She said: “I think there’s no point in being in public life if you aren’t willing to tell the truth. And sometimes telling the truth can be really difficult or uncomfortable… You have to have awkward conversations about the background of the perpetrators, the background of the victims. And there are a lot of people who don’t like that. But as long as I feel and know that whatever I’ve said is true, and I’ve communicated it to the best of my ability, then I feel that’s kind of all that I can do.”

Mr Jenrick was invited to comment.

‘Hurtful and Sad’: Katie Lam Hits Back at Robert Jenrick’s Defection to Reform

Robert Jenrick’s decision to leave the Conservative Party and join Reform UK was one of the most significant defections in British politics in 2026. It also created an uncomfortable personal and political situation for Conservative MP Katie Lam, who had previously been closely associated with Jenrick during his leadership campaign.

Lam has now made clear that she did not follow Jenrick into Nigel Farage’s party. Her response highlights the divisions that his departure exposed within the Conservative movement and raises wider questions about the future direction of the party.

Jenrick joined Reform in January 2026 after being removed from Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet. His departure came after tensions over his political activities and accusations that he had been preparing to leave the Conservatives. Jenrick subsequently appeared alongside Farage and described the Conservative Party as “rotten” and “failed”.

For Lam, the episode was particularly significant because she had been a prominent supporter of Jenrick during the 2024 Conservative leadership contest.

When speculation emerged that Lam herself might follow him to Reform, she rejected the possibility. In an interview with The Spectator, she said the idea of joining Reform was not something she was pursuing and revealed that she had not spoken to Jenrick since his defection. She described his departure as a “total shock”.

Her reaction is important because Lam had been regarded as one of the Conservatives’ younger figures on the right of the party.

The 34-year-old MP for Weald of Kent was elected to Parliament in 2024 and had established herself as a prominent Conservative voice. She had previously worked as a special adviser and had been involved in Conservative leadership politics before entering Parliament.

That background helps explain why her name appeared on lists of MPs who might potentially follow Jenrick.

After Jenrick’s defection, reports identified several Conservative MPs as possible candidates to leave for Reform. Lam was among those mentioned, alongside figures including Suella Braverman, Sir John Hayes and Esther McVey. However, being mentioned in media speculation was not evidence that any of those MPs had decided to defect.

Lam’s decision to remain therefore became politically significant.

It demonstrated that opposition to the current Conservative leadership or sympathy with some of Reform’s policies does not necessarily translate into support for leaving the Conservative Party.

The issue also illustrates a central problem facing Kemi Badenoch.

The Conservatives are attempting to maintain support on the political right while competing with a Reform UK party that has successfully attracted several former Conservative politicians. Jenrick’s departure was especially important because he was not simply an ordinary backbench MP. He had served in government and had previously contested the Conservative leadership.

His move therefore sent a much more powerful political signal than the departure of a relatively unknown parliamentarian.

The Guardian reported that Jenrick was the highest-profile Conservative defector to Reform at the time. His arrival was welcomed by Farage, who said the party needed experienced politicians if it was eventually to enter government.

Farage subsequently placed Jenrick in a senior position within Reform.

In February, when Reform unveiled part of its frontbench team, Jenrick was given responsibility for the Treasury brief. Farage described the new team as evidence that Reform was building what he called a “machine for government”.

That appointment demonstrated that Jenrick’s role in Reform was intended to go beyond simply providing another parliamentary voice.

It also made Lam’s decision to remain in the Conservative Party more consequential.

The two politicians had been associated with similar parts of the Conservative political spectrum, but they ultimately made very different choices about the future.

Jenrick argued that the Conservatives had failed and that Reform represented a better vehicle for political change.

Lam chose to remain within the Conservative Party and continue her political career there.

That distinction is central to understanding the current struggle on the British right.

Reform has attempted to attract voters who previously supported the Conservatives, particularly on issues such as immigration, taxation, national sovereignty and government spending. The Conservatives, meanwhile, are attempting to demonstrate that they can recover support without simply becoming a second version of Reform.

The question for Conservative politicians is therefore not merely whether they agree with individual Reform policies.

It is whether they believe the Conservative Party remains capable of representing those concerns.

Lam’s decision suggests that, at least in her case, the answer remains yes.

Her position is particularly interesting because she has herself taken strong positions on immigration.

The Guardian reported in August that Lam had been regarded as a figure on the Conservative right and had sometimes been tipped as a possible Reform defector. The newspaper also noted her comments on immigration and support for changes to indefinite leave to remain.

Yet political alignment is broader than any individual policy.

A Conservative MP can support tougher immigration policies while rejecting Reform as a political organisation. Similarly, a politician can share Reform’s concerns about government spending or national sovereignty while believing that those objectives should be pursued through the Conservative Party.

This distinction is often lost in discussions about defections.

The arrival of former Conservatives in Reform does not automatically mean that every politician who shares some of their views will follow them.

Lam’s case provides a useful example.

Her continued presence in the Conservative Party also matters because the party needs younger politicians capable of developing a political identity that is distinct from both Labour and Reform.

The Conservatives’ difficulty is that the political space to their right has become more competitive.

Farage’s Reform has become increasingly organised and has recruited politicians with government experience. At the same time, the Conservatives remain the historic centre-right party in British politics and retain their own parliamentary organisation and political traditions.

The competition between the two parties is therefore likely to continue.

Jenrick’s defection also exposed questions about personal relationships within politics.

His move reportedly surprised colleagues and created particular tension because he had previously been involved in the Conservative leadership contest. The Guardian reported that his discussions with Reform had begun months before his formal defection and that his departure followed his removal from the shadow cabinet.

For politicians such as Lam, that experience could reinforce the importance of political loyalty.

Her reported description of the situation as a “total shock” indicates the personal dimension of the story, but her subsequent decision was political as well as personal.

She has chosen to remain part of the Conservative project.

That decision does not necessarily mean that she agrees with every position taken by the Conservative leadership. Nor does it mean that the possibility of future changes in British politics can be ruled out.

But it does mean that the immediate wave of speculation surrounding her did not result in another high-profile defection.

This matters because Farage had previously attempted to encourage Conservative MPs to make a decision about whether to join Reform.

The Independent reported that Farage set a deadline of 7 May 2026 for Conservative defectors and that several MPs who had been discussed as possible defectors ultimately stayed with the Conservatives. Lam was among those who remained.

That outcome provides a more complicated picture than the idea of a mass Conservative migration to Reform.

There have certainly been prominent defections. Jenrick and Suella Braverman were among the most significant. But other Conservatives have decided to stay.

The reasons are likely to differ from politician to politician.

For some, it may be ideological. For others, it may reflect loyalty to the Conservative Party, doubts about Reform, constituency considerations or a belief that the Conservatives can recover.

It would be inappropriate to assume one motivation applies to everyone.

The broader political significance of Lam’s position is therefore that the Conservative Party still contains politicians who see their future within the party despite Reform’s growth.

For Badenoch, retaining such figures could be important as she attempts to rebuild the Conservatives.

For Farage, meanwhile, the challenge is to demonstrate that Reform can attract not only defectors but also a wider electorate.

Jenrick’s arrival gave Reform greater political experience, particularly in economic policy. But Lam’s decision demonstrates that Reform cannot assume every prominent Conservative figure will follow.

The two paths now represent different approaches to Britain’s political right.

Jenrick has chosen to work directly with Farage and help develop Reform’s programme.

Lam has chosen to remain within the Conservative Party and take up a role in its renewed frontbench. Following the Conservatives’ August 2026 reshuffle, she became shadow housing and communities minister.

That appointment further confirms that she is currently investing in the Conservative Party rather than preparing to leave it.

The story is therefore about more than one personal disagreement.

It reflects a larger political contest over what the British right should look like in the years ahead.

Reform argues that the established parties have failed and that a new political force is required. The Conservatives argue that they can renew themselves while remaining a mainstream centre-right party.

Jenrick has made his choice.

Lam has made hers.

Neither decision determines the future of British politics by itself. But together, they illustrate the choices facing politicians who share some concerns about Britain’s direction while reaching different conclusions about the political organisation best placed to address them.

For Lam, remaining Conservative means continuing to argue for change from within the party.

For Jenrick, joining Reform means attempting to build an alternative outside it.

The political consequences of those choices will unfold over time. For now, Lam’s response shows that even after one of the most prominent Conservative defections of 2026, the debate over the future of the British right remains far from settled.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.