'We'd been on high alert' - How Jenrick's dramatic defection unfolded

Key Highlights

• We knew about at least one evening meeting he'd had with Farage in December". Secret discussionsIn fact Jenrick had been having many more secret discussions with Reform figures for four months including with the party's leader."There were multiple conversations, many one-to-one meetings with Nigel," says a Farage ally. Was Jenrick offered a top cabinet job in a possible future Reform government?
• "Nothing was offered", insists the senior Reform source.
• "Honestly, genuinely nothing."Jeff Overs/BBCThe leakBut as Badenoch wrapped up her shadow cabinet meeting at 17:00 GMT on Wednesday, she was taken aside and shown what her advisers immediately recognised was a bombshell leak. A source with access to Jenrick's office had handed the Tory leadership a draft of Jenrick's secret defection speech, which included excoriating attacks on shadow cabinet ministers. Jenrick's allies won't comment on the identity of the alleged leaker but do not dispute the document came from one of his inner circle. They deny, however, that the MP was ever careless with the draft: "The speech never left Rob's office.
• The idea that it was left lying around somewhere is untrue."Badenoch immediately assembled her closest advisers including Conservative chief whip Rebecca Harris and a few other shadow cabinet ministers."My immediate reaction was it's treachery, it's disloyalty" says one of those Badenoch consulted in her parliamentary office."The temptation in these situations is to do nothing and hope it goes away, or wait a day or two.
• But that would have been a cop out.