A Reform UK MP has compared Robert Jenrick to Liz Truss in a striking interview that has raised eyebrows across Westminster, just days after Jenrick defected from the Conservatives and launched a series of attacks on his former party.
Andrew Rosindell, the Reform MP for Romford, drew the comparison during an appearance on the Daily T podcast on Monday evening, arguing that both figures had undergone what he described as genuine ideological conversions after time in government.
The comments came shortly after Jenrick publicly called for Truss to be expelled from the Conservative Party, accusing her of having single-handedly destroyed the party’s reputation for fiscal credibility during her brief premiership in 2022.
🗣️ Conversion to the “right side”
Speaking about his past disagreements with Jenrick, Rosindell said that while he had always liked and admired him personally, their political views had not aligned during earlier Conservative governments.
“It’s absolutely true that during those years, particularly during Brexit and under David Cameron’s administration, although I’ve always liked and admired Robert, his politics and mine were not aligned,” he said.
Rosindell went on to argue that Jenrick’s shift mirrored that of Truss, claiming both had changed their views after witnessing what he called entrenched resistance inside the state.
“It is the same with Liz Truss, actually, and I spoke with her recently,” he said. “Some people change their views, especially when they are ministers and they see the Blob taking control. This is what happened with Liz and Robert: they realised something is not right.”
He added: “The one thing they have in common is that they are genuine converts to the right side.”
⚡ Fallout from Jenrick’s defection
The remarks follow a tumultuous week in British politics after Jenrick was sacked from the Conservative shadow cabinet by party leader Kemi Badenoch, who said she had been presented with “clear, irrefutable evidence” that he was preparing to defect to Reform UK.
Jenrick joined Reform just hours later, appearing at a press conference alongside Nigel Farage, where he accused both Labour and the Conservatives of forfeiting the right to govern and declared Reform the new vehicle for political change.
In the days since, Jenrick has launched pointed attacks on several former colleagues, including Truss, whom he blamed for long-lasting damage to the Conservative brand.
📝 Truss row reignited
Writing in The Times, Jenrick questioned why Truss remains a Conservative Party member if the party is serious about reforming itself.
“Ask yourself this: if the party has really changed, why is Liz Truss still a member?” he wrote. “In 42 days, she single-handedly demolished the party’s reputation for fiscal credibility, undermined the country’s credit ratings and forced many to re-evaluate their retirement.”
He added that if the party lacked the resolve to remove Truss, it was unlikely to have the strength to confront what he described as vested interests blocking meaningful change.
“If the party doesn’t have the balls to kick out Truss, will it really have the gumption to take on the vested interests that stand in the way of all the change our country needs?” Jenrick wrote. “Sadly and very painfully, I concluded that it didn’t.”
🧩 A familiar defence inside Reform
Rosindell’s comments reflect a broader narrative emerging inside Reform UK, where former Conservatives are increasingly being framed as late converts rather than opportunists.
Supporters argue that time in government has pushed figures like Jenrick towards Reform after witnessing institutional inertia from the inside. Critics, however, have described the comparison to Truss as strained, pointing out that her economic experiment triggered market turmoil and forced her resignation after just six weeks in office.
Whether voters accept Reform’s characterisation of Jenrick as a principled convert or see his defection as political reinvention remains an open question, but the Truss comparison has ensured his move continues to generate controversy well beyond Westminster.
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