Thursday, January 15, 2026

Has Jenrick alienated red wall voters from Reform?

So, Jenrick has been evicted from the Conservative Party and immediately moves next door to live with his chum Nigel. Media reports suggest he has been talking to Reform since September last year, before the Conservative conference. That means he has been secretly plotting to knife his colleagues for four months. No wonder Farage said, "Never trust a Tory". So what are the immediate effects of this back stabbing incident?

Kemi Badenoch has buried her only realistic rival for the Tory leadership. She's safe, for now.

So far, defections by sitting MPs from the Tories to Reform have been rare: 2 now, including Jenrick. His jumping ship could encourage others to do the same.

Reform is going to look more and more like the Tories 2.0. In red wall areas, Reform has reach into some areas where Labour have previously been dominant but have taken people for granted. Political activity is minimal and Reform can potentially walk in and fill the vacuum. People in those areas are not Conservatives. Taking in large numbers of defecting Conservatives could alienate these red wall voters.

I wonder who the next defector will be? 

No comments: