Newslinks for Monday 19th January 2026

Tory shadow minister defects to Reform

“A Tory senior MP has followed Robert Jenrick and defected to Reform UK, in protest at the Conservatives’ handling of the Chagos Islands deal. Andrew Rosindell, the MP for Romford and former shadow minister for foreign affairs, announced on Sunday night that he had been forced to “put country before party”. He said he now believed the Conservative Party was “irreparably bound to the mistakes of previous governments” and was “unwilling to take meaningful accountability” for its record in office. Mr Rosindell’s defection comes days after Mr Jenrick joined Reform after being sacked by Kemi Badenoch. It raises the prospect that more MPs on the Conservative Right could defect to Reform and will come as a severe blow to the Conservative leader. Mr Farage has given Tory MPs who want to join his party a deadline of the May 7 local elections. On Sunday night, the Reform leader described Mr Rosindell as a “great patriot” who had been tipped “over the edge” by “Tory lies and hypocrisy over the Chagos Islands”… A Conservative Party source said Mr Rosindell had threatened to defect for months but denied he was doing so until as recently as Saturday. They said it was another example of Nigel Farage doing Mrs Badenoch’s “spring cleaning”, referring to her comments after Mr Jenrick’s defection. “The Conservative Party supported Rosindell throughout his many troubles, and he responded by stabbing his friends, colleagues and activists in the back. Reform are welcome to him,” the source said.” – Daily Telegraph

• Andrew Rosindell becomes second Tory MP in a week to defect to Reform – The i
• Andrew Rosindell quits Tories and defects to Reform UK – BBC News
• London gets first Reform MP as Andrew Rosindell becomes second Tory to defect in a week – The Standard
• Blow for Badenoch as another Tory defector joins Farage’s Reform – The Independent
• Defection of Tory MP Andrew Rosindell to Reform leaves Kemi Badenoch in an uncomfortable position – Sky News

Comment:

• I’ll always be accused of treachery for what I did inside the Tory party. I know exactly what everyone’s thinking about Robert Jenrick – here’s exactly what’s going to happen next – Michael Gove, Daily Mail
• Is Robert Jenrick really ready to be in a Big State party? – Helen Whately, Daily Telegraph
• Ignore the Tory talking points: Jenrick’s defection is Kemi’s biggest blunder yet – James Frayne, Daily Telegraph
• How the stream of Tories defecting to Reform might end up coming back to bite Nigel Farage in the bum – Rod Liddle, The Sun
• Like a business that has lost its way, the Conservative Party can bounce back. Here’s how – Ken Costa, Daily Telegraph
• Kemi Badenoch must seize one-nation opportunity – Matthew Parris, The Times
• What does history tell us about treachery in British politics? – Richard Johnson, Daily Telegraph
• The Jenrick frenzy proves how deeply unserious UK politics has become – Ian Birrell, The i

> Today:

> Yesterday:

Cost of Chancellor’s U-turns is £8.2bn

“Rachel Reeves’s U-turns have cost £8.2 billion, a think tank has found in the first full assessment of the government’s repeated policy climbdowns. Uncertainty about policy decisions is high despite Labour’s repeated pledges to “restore stability”, according to the report by the Resolution Foundation. The £8.2 billion hit over the course of the parliament includes retreats on personal independence payments and universal credit, as well as the winter fuel allowance and the two-child benefit cap. The figures were calculated using Office for Budget Responsibility data. The figure does not cover the government’s recent U-turns on business rates for pubs and inheritance tax rules for farmers. Those two measures are expected to cost another £300 million and £130 million respectively. It also does not include the impact of changes to jury trials or the U-turn on ID cards. Policy uncertainty is at the highest level since 1997, when the index began. “Elevated UK-specific policy uncertainty is almost certainly linked to the scale and frequency of fiscal interventions during this parliament,” the report said… Last week it was revealed that Sir Keir Starmer had abandoned plans for mandatory digital ID for workers, in the 13th significant U-turn of his ­premiership. He had previously said this would be compulsory to verify the right to work as part of a crackdown on migration. Reeves is currently drawing up a suite of measures to help the 5,000 pubs that have seen their business rates doubled. An announcement is expected as soon as this week, after fierce criticism from the hospitality industry. The chancellor is also under increasing pressure to provide support to hotels, restaurants and other hospitality businesses, which have also been hit by significant tax rises.” – The Times

• Labour’s £8.2bn of U-turns ‘has damaged growth’ – Daily Telegraph
• Reeves ‘financially waterboarding’ Britain’s pubs – Daily Telegraph
• ‘Our pubs are a Labour cash cow’: The landlords facing financial ruin from Rachel Reeves’ brutal tax raids as huge hikes in business rates put their once thriving locals on the brink of closure – Daily Mail
• Reeves’s ‘tax timebomb’ threatens to crush Britain’s high streets – Daily Telegraph

Comment:

• Rachel Reeves creates financial nightmare for pensioners – right at the end of their lives – Harvey Jones, Daily Express
• Why Rachel Reeves should give bankers more of a cold shoulder at Davos 2026 – Heather Stewart, The Guardian

> Today:

NATO now ‘heading for disaster’ in Trump row

“Keir Starmer last night confronted Donald Trump over his extraordinary threat to seize Greenland. In an unprecedented rebuke amid warnings Nato was ‘heading for disaster’, he told the US President his proposal to impose tariffs on those willing to defend the island was ‘wrong’. The confrontation came after Western leaders warned Mr Trump he risked a ‘dangerous downward spiral’ in relations, adding that their new Arctic mission posed ‘no threat to anyone’. But a Cabinet minister dismissed demands for the UK to hit back by cancelling the King’s planned state visit to America in the spring. As a deepening crisis threatens the future of Nato, European leaders are considering deploying their so-called trade ‘bazooka’ for the first time in retaliation, an economic tool that would hit the US with £81billion in tariffs. The ‘big bazooka’ is an anti-coercion instrument adopted in 2023 to combat political blackmail. It allows the EU to restrict countries from participating in public tenders, limit trade licences and shut off access to the single market. But there was no sign of the White House backing down, with one key figure blasting Europe as too weak to defend itself. Last night a senior UK government figure told the Daily Mail: ‘I have never seen anything like this. Our adversaries will be rubbing their hands with joy. We are heading towards a disaster.’” – Daily Mail

• US tariffs wrong, Starmer says in Trump-Greenland row – The Times
• Trump’s tariff threat over Greenland risks ‘dangerous downward spiral’, warn Nato members – The Guardian
• Signs Putin is eyeing up tiny Nato nation for 2026 invasion in final bid to cement legacy after snubbing Trump peace bid – The Sun

Comment:

• Britain must declare independence from America or it will die – Tim Stanley, Daily Telegraph
• Nato would never recover if Trump seized Greenland. These are dark times – and I fear we’ve not yet seen the worst of them – Andrew Neil, Daily Mail
• Trump’s tariffs threaten to split Nato as never before – The Times View
• Trump has humiliated Starmer and put the Prime Minister in an impossible position – Tom Harris, Daily Telegraph
• Starmer’s Trump strategy is in ruins – and he now faces a bitter choice – Anne McElvoy, The i
• Sir Keir Starmer MUST convince Trump that a global trade war over Greenland is in nobody’s interest – The Sun Says

News in brief:

• Jenrick’s treachery has made Badenoch stronger – Robin Ashenden, The Spectator
• Britain should pivot to China in response to Trump’s tariffs – Jonny Ball, UnHerd
• A short-form solution – Tom Jones, The Critic
• Trump’s threat to Greenland must be a wake up call for Britain – Zack Polanski, The New Statesman