A secret media plan that labelled former Conservative frontbencher Robert Jenrick as 'the new sheriff in town' was leaked to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch just before his dramatic defection to Reform UK, it has been revealed.
The 'Sheriff' Memo and Its Contents
The private six-page briefing, drawn up for the former Shadow Justice Secretary as he plotted his move to Nigel Farage's party, described Jenrick as 'the most dynamic politician in the Conservative Party'. According to reports in the Mail on Sunday and Sunday Times, the document was not authored by Jenrick himself, but extracts appear to show his own handwritten annotations on the text.
One key line from the media advice read: 'You’re the new sheriff in town, here to provide experience and political heft to Reform’s operation so the country can be fixed.' It further claimed he was 'the biggest defection story Reform has ever had (and likely ever will)' and a 'leader in waiting' should Badenoch fail.
The plan included prepared answers for a potential press conference. To a suggestion he was 'jumping ship to save your career', the briefing advised a retort about being top of the Conservative Home shadow cabinet league table. Handwritten notes next to this answer added: 'Bookies favourite to be next…'
Leak, Expulsion, and Defection
The memo was obtained by a mole within Jenrick's office and sent to Ms Badenoch's team. This leak sparked the chain of events that led to his expulsion from the Conservative Party on Thursday, January 18, 2026. Just hours after his expulsion, the MP for Newark appeared at a Reform UK press conference to confirm he had joined the party.
Badenoch later posted an online video, accusing her leadership rival of planning an exit 'in a way designed to be as damaging as possible' to the Tories. Her suspicions were confirmed when Jenrick delivered a scathing speech criticising his former leader and colleagues.
One Conservative MP reportedly dismissed the leaked notes as an 'Alan Partridge-style motivational speech in the mirror'.
Reactions and Future Defections
Reform UK's deputy leader, Richard Tice, welcomed Jenrick as 'a great new asset' bringing valuable ministerial experience to help win the next election. However, a source close to the Tory leadership told the Mail on Sunday that Jenrick had been 'radicalised by his own personal ambition'.
While sources within Reform suggest a 'clutch' of further defections from the Conservatives can be expected, Nigel Farage has set a high bar. He stated Reform was 'not a rescue charity for every panicky Tory MP' and that any defector must publicly admit the Conservatives 'broke the country'. Farage also claimed a 'well-known Labour figure' would defect to his party this week.
Reform has set a deadline for other defectors of May 7, 2026, the day of the local and devolved government elections. A spokesman for Jenrick said: 'As the document makes clear Rob is just a member of Nigel’s team and wants to help get him in as Prime Minister.'
