Robert Jenrick is a British politician who served as immigration minister in the Conservative government. He later became shadow justice secretary under Kemi Badenoch. Only 11% of Britons have a favourable view of him.
In January 2026 Mr Jenrick defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK, making him the most prominent serving frontbencher to cross the floor. Ms Badenoch expelled him from the Conservatives after discovering his plans to defect. At a press conference on January 15th 2026, Nigel Farage described his new recruits as "people who are apologetic, indeed ashamed, of what they'd done in the past."
On February 17th 2026 Mr Jenrick was announced as Reform UK's pick for chancellor. In a speech the following day he attacked both Labour and the Conservatives as representing a "30-year-long economic consensus that has failed", insisting Reform would provide a "new economic model" for Britain.
In practice, his policies closely echo those of Rachel Reeves, the Labour chancellor. His promise of fiscal prudence, respect for the independence of the OBR and the Bank of England, and commitment to "liberate planning" mirror her approach. He described Reform as "the party of alarm-clock Britain".
Mr Jenrick points to Reform's plan to save £25bn a year, mostly by cutting over 90% of foreign aid and ending welfare for foreigners—a mere 0.8% of GDP. He supports the triple lock on state pensions, the biggest driver of rising welfare costs. His hard-Brexit, zero-migration approach would cause greater economic damage than Labour's policies on both fronts. He has promised emergency legislation to give Heathrow full planning consent for its third runway.
Nothing succeeds like excess.