Reform Wales regional director called Robert Jenrick a back stabber who ruined country

Emily Price 

A senior Reform Wales figure published derogatory remarks about Robert Jenrick on social media,  branding the latest Conservative to defect to the party a backstabber who ruined the country.

Torfaen Councillor David Thomas made the comments on June 27th 2025 in a post to X during a social media spat between the ex-government minister and Reform’s Head of Policy, Zia Yusuf.

The row was triggered when Jenrick published a post to X claiming mass migration was making young people poorer.

Sharing the post, Yusef said: “Does anyone remember who was in the government that inflicted this catastrophe on us?

“Come to think of it, who was Secretary of State for Housing?”

Jenrick – who was the shadow secretary of state for justice at the time – hit back, mocking Reform’s policy lead, branding him “Zia Useless”.

He wrote: “I got housing starts to their highest level since 1987.

“I fought tooth and nail to cut migration and secured the biggest ever reduction.

“Did the last government do enough? No. That’s why I resigned.

“But enough about me. Why do your own colleagues call you Zia Useless?”

Reform’s regional director for Wales David Thomas later waded into the row accusing Jenrick of chasing headlines and mimicking Reform’s leader, Nigel Farage.

In a post to X, Thomas wrote: “Great you’re proud of your record, Robert. The British people aren’t fools.

“You were Immigration and Housing Minister while your party let in 10 million migrants and wrecked the country.

“Then you jumped ship months before the election to plot your leadership bid.

“You stand for nothing. You mimic Farage, chase headlines, and stab colleagues in the back.

“Reform built a movement in 12 months that buried your 300-year-old party. That’s not just history – it’s justice.”

Robert Jenrick announced his defection to Reform UK on Thursday (January 15).

In a scathing attack on his former party that he said had “failed so badly” in government, the ex-minister said the Conservatives in Westminster were “not sorry” about what they had done.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch had sacked Jenrick earlier that day, citing “irrefutable evidence that he was plotting” to jump ship in a “damaging” way.

A shadow cabinet minister told the BBC he had left his printed resignation speech “lying around”.

Appearing at a Westminster press conference alongside Farage, Jenrick said: “I can’t kid myself any more. The party hasn’t changed and it won’t.

“The bulk of the party don’t get it. Don’t have the stomach for the radical change this country needs.”

Jenrick conceded he had contributed to mistakes in the Tory record, but claimed his efforts as a minister had been “let down” by former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.

Following, the announcement, Reform’s regional director for Wales did not publicly welcome Jenrick’s defection.

Nation.Cymru asked Thomas if this was because he still believed Jenrick was a backstabber who had wrecked the country.

We did not receive a response, but Thomas immediately shared two posts to X welcoming Robert Jenrick and Nadhim Zahawi to Reform UK.

Zahawi – a former Conservative chancellor – had jumped ship to Farage’s party on Monday (January 12).

Tory sources said the move had followed repeated requests from Zahawi for a peerage from his old party, which had been refused.