This UK Politician Who Changed Parties To Join The Far-Right Was Heckled In Parliament In The Most British Way
The Commons heckle went viral, with people criticizing Jenrick for attacking the same people he had worked with for years.
A British lawmaker who changed parties to join the far-right was hilariously heckled in the UK Parliament during a speech praising the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
On May 20, Robert Jenrick, a member of Parliament who defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK earlier this year, was speaking during a debate in the House of Commons, the elected chamber of the UK Parliament, criticizing the UK’s governing Labour Party when the exchange happened.
“They said they would do things differently, they would be better, they would end the chaos, they would put country before party. And where are we, less than two years later?”
“You’re in a different party,” Liberal Democrat politician Max Wilkinson responded.
Wilkinson then pointed toward the Conservative benches and added, “You used to be there,” causing the chamber to burst out laughing.
The moment went viral across social media with many people joking that the exchange perfectly summed up the current state of British right-wing politics.
The Commons heckle went viral, with people criticizing Jenrick for attacking the same people he had worked with for years.
On Sunday, May 24, Jenrick finally responded to the viral moment during an appearance on GB News, where he attempted to laugh it off.
“It was very rare for a [Liberal Democrat] to have a good sense of humor,” he said.
Jenrick was a senior Conservative politician for more than a decade and previously served in government under former UK prime ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
In January, he defected to Reform UK after tensions with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
His move was widely seen as one of the biggest defections yet from the Conservatives to Farage’s right-wing populist party.
Before joining Reform UK, Jenrick had also attempted to become leader of the Conservative Party.
Since switching parties, Jenrick has become one of Reform UK’s most high-profile figures and has repeatedly attacked both Labour and the Conservatives while backing Reform’s anti-establishment messaging.
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