Nigel Farage has reacted to the sacking of Robert Jenrick today during a press conference to appoint a party leader in Scotland.

The Reform UK leader said he was “very surprised” about the news Mr Jenrick had been sacked this morning. He added the pair had a “lot of conversations” over recent months.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch sacked Shadow Justice Secretary and suspended him from the Conservative Party after “he was plotting in secret to defect” to Reform UK.

Kemi Badenoch said: “I have sacked Robert Jenrick from the Shadow Cabinet, removed the whip and suspended his party membership with immediate effect.

“I was presented with clear, irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect in a way designed to be as damaging as possible to his Shadow Cabinet colleagues and the wider Conservative Party.

“The British public are tired of political psychodrama and so am I. They saw too much of it in the last government, they’re seeing too much of it in This government. I will not repeat those mistakes.”

Reacting to the news Mr Farage said: “I’m going to say that I’ve had conversations with a number of very senior Conservatives over the course of the last week and the last month.

“A lot of them realise that, for all the talk about Kemi doing better at PMQs which is true and all the talk of a supposed Kemi bounce, a lot of them understand that on May 7th or should I say May 8th the Conservative Party could cease to be a national party.

“They could be wiped out in Scotland, in Wales, and across the Red Wall. Councils, if not all, may cancel elections—we’ll find out later today.

“So a lot of people are seriously considering their future as far as Mr Jenrick is concerned. Of course, I’ve spoken to Robert Jenrick.

“Was I on the verge of signing a document with him? No. But have we had conversations? Yes.”

More to follow…