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A top Tory has criticised Kemi Badenoch’s stunning public sacking of Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick, calling it “a strange move”. Former Cabinet Minister Esther McVey said: “I would have advised her not to have done this.” She spoke exclusively to our Daily Expresso podcast, giving her snap reaction to the Jenrick drama as it gripped Westminster.

Mrs Badenoch announced she was sacking her Shadow Cabinet colleague Robert Jenrick because the Tory leadership had evidence that he was planning to defect to Reform. But Ms McVey said there was no need for such drastic action – and the chances of Jenrick joining Nigel Farage’s party may now have increased. She said: “Are you going to set something in train that you can’t handle? What is going to the be the fallout from this? That would be my concern if I was advising her.”

The former Minister, who backed Mr Jenrick’s campaign to become party leader in 2024 when he was defeated by Mrs Badenoch, said she had heard rumours that Jenrick had in fact been planning to run for the Conservative leadership again.

A poor result for the Tories in May’s local elections could have provided Mr Jenrick with an opportunity, she hinted.

“I have also heard from other sources, they thought there was going to be some sort of plot and coup for May, that he was going to do a leadership bid.”

But Ms McVey stressed that she had not been aware of any possible plot before today, and backed Kemi Badenoch. She also praised Mrs Badenoch and said her position was secure.

“Kemi’s doing very well at the moment, she’s bashing Starmer all over the place.”

She warned that Mr Jenrick might now act out of “anger”.

“You’ve got to think of all those emotions, all those ties.

“He’ll be bruised. It was very public. Might he do something in haste now, in anger, through the emotion that he wouldn’t have otherwise done?

“But I think Reform would be very lucky to have Robert.”

She also warned that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage could actually lose support if it allowed too many former Conservatives into the party.

Ms McVey told Expresso presenter Steph Spyro: “He’s got to be very careful that if there was, as you say Tories 2.0, he’s going top upset that applecart and lose a lot of his voters.”