Only weeks after defecting, former Tory beats party stalwarts Richard Tice and Zia Yusuf to top post
Daily Telegraph 17/02/26
Robert Jenrick is to be unveiled as Reform UK’s shadow chancellor just over a month after defecting from the Conservatives.
The former Tory cabinet minister has beaten former Reform leader Richard Tice and head of policy Zia Yusuf to the job despite having only been in the party for weeks.
Mr Yusuf will be instead named as Reform’s shadow home secretary and Mr Tice will be given a new brief merging the business, energy and industry portfolios. The party will also unveil a new foreign affairs spokesman.
The appointment, first revealed by The Telegraph, will be seen as an attempt by Nigel Farage to boost his party’s economic credibility.
Reform UK has been ahead in the opinion polls since May but voters still see the Conservatives as more trustworthy on the economy.
Mr Farage will use a press conference on Tuesday to try and persuade voters he shows he has a serious plan for government.
Reform’s opponents accuse the party of not being ready for power, and Mr Farage said in a BBC documentary broadcast earlier this month that the party was “halfway” ready to govern.
Mr Jenrick has spent time in the Treasury, having served for 18 months as exchequer secretary in Theresa May’s government.
He also has Cabinet experience as communities secretary under Boris Johnson and immigration minister under Rishi Sunak.
Mr Farage has previously insisted he had not offered Mr Jenrick the shadow chancellor position before he crossed the floor.
Mr Jenrick will give his first speech in the new role on Wednesday when he delivers an address in the City of London, offering an insight into the party’s new economic approach.
Mr Farage has adopted some interventionist positions on the economy in recent months, including nationalising struggling steel plants and lifting the two-child benefit cap for married British families.
Mr Yusuf’s new Home Office brief builds on his recent involvement in migration policy for Reform. Mr Tice has long expressed positions on energy and business matters.
Reform has been calling the titles “shadow” roles, even though strictly that terminology is used by the official Opposition, which is currently the Conservative Party.
Asked on Monday if some Reform MPs would be disappointed by his selections, Mr Farage said: “There is always disappointment in life.
“The moment to properly move away from the potential criticism that we are a one-man band has been there now for a few weeks and that is why I am doing it.”
Asked if he was concerned about giving up control, Mr Farage said: “No. I’m relieved that other people are taking up these big areas and from the media’s perspective, if you have a particular issue, you will know who to call.”
More shadow cabinet appointments are expected to be unveiled in the coming months, and Mr Farage has expressed an interest in appointing outside experts to some positions. 17/02/26
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