Kemi Badenoch today insisted she is '100 per cent confident' there will not be any more big name defections to Reform as she ratcheted up hostilities with Robert Jenrick.

The Tory leader dismissed the prospect of any more of her shadow cabinet switching sides as she mocked Nigel Farage for 'doing my Spring cleaning'.

Ruling out a pact with Reform at the next election, Mrs Badenoch accused her former leadership rival of 'lies'. 

However, Mr Jenrick insisted in an interview with the BBC that he was confident in his choices and had been 'honest' with the British people. 

Westminster is reeling from Mrs Badenoch's extraordinary pre-emptive strike on Mr Jenrick yesterday.

She sacked him to kick off a day of high drama that culminated in a formal unveiling alongside Mr Farage at a 4.30pm press conference. 

Mrs Badenoch, who is visiting Scotland ahead of crucial elections in May, has doubled down on her bold move, saying: 'It is not a blow to lose someone who lies to his colleagues.' 

Former Cabinet minister Michael Gove jibed that Reform now risk looking like the 'Slytherin House' of politics - 'the home of those that are the intriguers' rather than a 'fresh force'. 

Mr Jenrick told the BBC today that he had 'resolved' to go during the Christmas break.

But the 'final straw' had come during a shadow cabinet away day last week, in which he had argued with fellow frontbenchers about whether Britain was 'broken'.

He said some colleagues had agreed with him that Britain was broken, but argued they could not say so publicly because the Conservatives were responsible.

Despite denying he was considering a defection even after he had made up his mind, Mr Jenrick said he had not misled people over his plans.

He said: 'I have been honest with the British people, and that's what matters to me.'

But on a visit to Aberdeen, Mrs Badenoch called him a liar as she ruled out any pact with Reform ahead of the next election.

She said: 'How do you do a deal with liars? How do you do a deal with people who have been saying things that were clearly not true, not just for months, but clearly for years?'

Arguing that Mr Farage had done her 'spring cleaning' for her, she added: 'The problems are going, we are even more united than we were, because we're a stronger team… Robert Jenrick was not a team player.'

Mrs Badenoch told Sky News she is '100 per cent confident' no further members of her shadow cabinet will defect.

Nick Timothy, who has replaced Mr Jenrick as shadow justice secretary, toured broadcast studios this morning insisting that the Tories are 'united'.

Asked about the prospect of further defections, he told BBC Breakfast: 'Well I can speak for myself, and I can tell you that I joined the Conservative Party as a 17-year-old and I will die a member of the Conservative Party.

'But the reaction yesterday in Parliament was actually one of surprise that Rob would do this, but also resolve because the party, I think, is more united under Kemi's leadership than I've known it for many years.

'And the reaction of my colleagues in Parliament was to be impressed by the way Kemi handled the situation and pleased that she's been so decisive.'

Tory MP Mark Francois - sometimes tipped as another defector - gave a damning assessment of Mr Jenrick's actions today.

'I feel desperately let down by what Robert did yesterday, personally let down... yesterday was an ego trip, sucking up to Nigel on television,' he told Talk TV. 

'I cannot respect that.' 

However, a number of MPs have yet to comment publicly and there is significant private dismay at the departure.

In a video released at 11.06am yesterday, Mrs Badenoch said she had sacked Mr Jenrick from the frontbench and the party after being presented with 'clear irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect in a way designed to be as damaging as possible'.

She insisted the British public are sick of 'psychodramas'. 

There are claims that a mole in Mr Jenrick's team supplied the leadership with a draft speech and media plan being prepared for the defection. 

Mr Jenrick said last night that he would not trigger a by-election in his Newark seat, claiming that his constituents were already aware of his views.

Mr Farage, meanwhile, thanked Mrs Badenoch for driving Mr Jenrick into his arms, saying the defection had only been '60:40' to happen at that point.