And he even left papers “lying around” that got back to the Conservative leadership – which provided “irrefutable” proof that he was planning to defect, and to time the announcement “to make it as painful as possible”.

Kemi Badenoch took a firm decision “to lance the boil” according to insiders.

They say the evidence Jenrick was set to defect was “overwhelming”

A Conservative Party source told the Press Association there was “totally irrefutable” evidence that Robert Jenrick was planning to defect to Reform UK.

The Tory source said: “We have had lots of reports coming in that he was meeting with Reform. He went for dinner with Nigel Farage last month, he had been speaking to people within Westminster about the possibility of a defection.

“His team has spoken to various people, including journalists, about defection.

“Kemi doesn’t take decisions lightly, she thinks about these things, she analyses things properly. But the evidence was just totally irrefutable that this was going to be done to inflict maximum pain on the party.”

The source would not say when they expected the defection would be announced, but suggested it was “going to be very soon”.

Tory chief whip Rebecca Harris informed Mr Jenrick he had been sacked and had the whip and his Conservative Party membership suspended, the source said.

Mrs Badenoch said she sacked Mr Jenrick and kicked him out of the party due to “irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect in a way designed to be as damaging as possible” to his Conservative colleagues.

She said on X: “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.”

Speaking this afternoon, a senior Tory MP who supported Mr Jenrick’s leadership campaign in 2024 said his plotting would come across as “inpatient and [driven by] personal ambition”.

They suggested the timing of the Tory Party’s latest bout of public infighting was bizarre, adding that the obvious moment for a coup against Ms Badenoch would have been after the May local elections.

Reacting to Mrs Badenoch’s announcement at a Reform press conference today where he unveiled the party’s Scottish leader, Mr Farage insisted he was “very surprised” the news had broken and would “never reveal private conversations”.

But asked again whether he had been in talks with the former Tory frontbencher, he added: “Of course, I’ve talked to Robert Jenrick. Was I on the verge of signing a document with him? No. But have we had conversations? Yes.”

He added: “I think virtually every Conservative is considering leaving the Conservatives, yes.”

Asked if this included Mr Jenrick, he replied: “I think that’s been in his mind, yes. I’ve little doubt it’s been in his mind.”