Andrea Jenkyns - now at the heart of Reform UK - is running to be the Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
Dame Andrea Jenkyns delivered one of the biggest shocks of the 2015 general election when she ousted Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls and knocked a brick out of Labour’s Red Wall. The former Miss UK finalist who once worked at a local branch of Greggs sent the Oxford and Harvard-educated Labour Titan packing. And now she is at the vanguard of what could be one of the greatest transformations in UK politics in a century.
This veteran Brexiteer has left the Tories for Reform UK and is fighting to become the first mayor for Greater Lincolnshire. She says she believes Labour can be out of power in one term with Nigel Farage moving into Number 10 Downing Street. If she can persuade traditional Tory voters in all parts of the country that her new party is now the home of true conservatives then Kemi Badenoch will have reason to worry.
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Sponsored
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Gynecologists Recommend This Anti-sagging Bra for Elderly WomenDollylace Read More
Undo
DON'T MISS
Powered by
GB News interrupted for breaking news announcement in blow to Keir Starmer
89 Comments
Nigel Farage braces for huge test as Keir Starmer also eyes must-win vote
96 Comments
Nigel Farage could be pulling No10's strings already without even being in power yet
58 Comments
Reform's new by-election candidate wastes no time with savage 3-word swipe at Keir Starmer
401 Comments
Kemi Badenoch warns Tories face 'extremely difficult' local elections
83 Comments
Nigel Farage has last laugh with brutal four-word putdown against heckling protesters
664 Comments
'Fooling no one!' Nigel Farage erupts at Kemi Badenoch over net zero speech
98 Comments
Keir Starmer's huge U-turn on key issue lays bare Labour Party hypocrisy
51 Comments
Nigel Farage declares Reform UK will 'go to war' against teachers' unions
484 Comments
Rachel Reeves admits Labour could break key election pledge
88 Comments
I was in the room for Rachel Reeves' Budget - one thing was 'absolutely desperate'
26 Comments
I was at PMQs - here's my translation of what (I think) waffling Keir Starmer meant to say
97 Comments
Britain must perform one key pivot to boost UK's security and prosperity
6 Comments
Rachel Reeves attempts to end Labour civil war with ￡2bn to build thousands of homes
100 Comments
Up Your SPF and GPA with Georgetown' s Summer SessionsGeorgetown University Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Nigel Farage named most popular alternative to Keir Starmer as PM in bombshell poll
146 Comments
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves dealt huge new poll blow
36 Comments
MD: Building Muscle After 60 Comes Down To This 1 ThingApex Labs
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Nigel Farage blasts Kemi Badenoch's 'comical' local election promise
99 Comments
Kemi Badenoch slammed as 'weak' by former Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns
53 Comments
Up Your SPF and GPA with Georgetown' s Summer SessionsGeorgetown University Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Nigel Farage unveils three new Reform defectors at latest rally
206 Comments
Kemi Badenoch takes brutal swipe at Nigel Farage after Reform top poll
325 Comments
Up Your SPF and GPA with Georgetown' s Summer SessionsGeorgetown University Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
GB News interrupted for breaking news announcement in blow to Keir Starmer
89 Comments
Nigel Farage braces for huge test as Keir Starmer also eyes must-win vote
96 Comments
Up Your SPF and GPA with Georgetown' s Summer SessionsGeorgetown University Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Nigel Farage could be pulling No10's strings already without even being in power yet
58 Comments
Reform's new by-election candidate wastes no time with savage 3-word swipe at Keir Starmer
401 Comments
Up Your SPF and GPA with Georgetown' s Summer SessionsGeorgetown University Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Kemi Badenoch warns Tories face 'extremely difficult' local elections
83 Comments
Nigel Farage has last laugh with brutal four-word putdown against heckling protesters
664 Comments
Up Your SPF and GPA with Georgetown' s Summer SessionsGeorgetown University Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
'Fooling no one!' Nigel Farage erupts at Kemi Badenoch over net zero speech
98 Comments
Keir Starmer's huge U-turn on key issue lays bare Labour Party hypocrisy
51 Comments
Up Your SPF and GPA with Georgetown' s Summer SessionsGeorgetown University Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Nigel Farage declares Reform UK will 'go to war' against teachers' unions
484 Comments
Rachel Reeves admits Labour could break key election pledge
88 Comments
Up Your SPF and GPA with Georgetown' s Summer SessionsGeorgetown University Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
I was in the room for Rachel Reeves' Budget - one thing was 'absolutely desperate'
26 Comments
I was at PMQs - here's my translation of what (I think) waffling Keir Starmer meant to say
97 Comments
Up Your SPF and GPA with Georgetown' s Summer SessionsGeorgetown University Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Britain must perform one key pivot to boost UK's security and prosperity
6 Comments
Rachel Reeves attempts to end Labour civil war with ￡2bn to build thousands of homes
100 Comments
Nigel Farage named most popular alternative to Keir Starmer as PM in bombshell poll
146 Comments
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves dealt huge new poll blow
36 Comments
Nigel Farage blasts Kemi Badenoch's 'comical' local election promise
99 Comments
Kemi Badenoch slammed as 'weak' by former Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns
53 Comments
Nigel Farage unveils three new Reform defectors at latest rally
206 Comments
Kemi Badenoch takes brutal swipe at Nigel Farage after Reform top poll
325 Comments
GB News interrupted for breaking news announcement in blow to Keir Starmer
89 Comments
Nigel Farage braces for huge test as Keir Starmer also eyes must-win vote
96 Comments
Nigel Farage could be pulling No10's strings already without even being in power yet
58 Comments
Reform's new by-election candidate wastes no time with savage 3-word swipe at Keir Starmer
401 Comments
Kemi Badenoch warns Tories face 'extremely difficult' local elections
83 Comments
Nigel Farage has last laugh with brutal four-word putdown against heckling protesters
664 Comments
'Fooling no one!' Nigel Farage erupts at Kemi Badenoch over net zero speech
98 Comments
“I feel I’m in the real Conservative party with Reform and I’ve never felt more alive, more buzzing, and I really do believe Nigel will become our prime minister,” she enthuses.
She says that as she pounds the pavement voters have a similar message to the one they delivered in the days before she beat Mr Balls and sent him on his journey from politics to competing on Strictly Come Dancing: “They want change. They don’t want the status quo.”
Dame Andrea, 50, is reminded of the energy which defined both the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign and the election battle which led to Boris Johnson’s landslide.
Sponsored
Okita Nail Fungus Light Learn More
Man Fights Nail Fungus for 15 Years…Until He Found This Device
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
“Do you remember the 2019 election?” she asks. “That euphoria? That positivity? It feels like that again. I feel alive.”
Dame Andrea Jenkyns and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Image: PA)
Don't miss...
Top Tory joins Nigel Farage's Reform UK in devastating blow for party [LATEST]
Andrea Jenkyns hits out at 'biased' BBC after tense HIGNFY stint [LATEST]
Top Tory includes photo of Reform UK's Nigel Farage on election leaflet [LATEST]
Desperate lefty mob's bid to protect Rayner with attacks on divorced Tory MP [LATEST]
The defence of free speech is a personal priority.
“That’s why we need people like Nigel Farage,” she says. “I genuinely think that only he can save Britain. When I defected I said I’m joining the party of the brave; I really feel that. These are the Spartans of the political world.”
Back in 2015 she was an icon for a resurgent Conservative party. Even as the Tories headed towards last summer’s election disaster, she says she did not consider quitting its ranks.
“It didn’t enter my head and I went down fighting with that sinking ship,” she says. “I feel the Conservatives left me, really.”
The latest Techne poll puts the Tories and Reform neck-and-neck – both on 23% with Labour four points ahead. She is amazed at the commitment of Reform supporters who are working to change Britain’s political landscape for good.
“The volunteers on the ground – you just want to hug them,” she says. “You could bottle it – it’s amazing, the enthusiasm.”
She feels in her bones that Sir Keir Starmer may not be in Downing Street for much longer. My instincts say we’ll have an election before four years,” she says. “I don’t know why. I don’t how it’s going to happen but I’ve felt that for a while.”
She served as a whip under Boris Johnson and was made a Dame in his resignation honours. But she has no regrets about leaving the Tories.
“All my friends say to me, ‘You’re buzzing, Andrea. I’ve never seen you that happy.’ It’s like a weight’s been lifted.”
There were many fraught moments during her years as a Conservative MP. She feared Theresa May was going to “sell us down the river” as she negotiated a Brexit deal with Brussels so she quit her junior role in Government and ran a “whipping operation to try and bring her down”.
Colleagues gave the cold shoulder in the Commons tea room.
“I’d be sitting down and people would move,” she remembers. “It was really so childish.” Courage, she says, is a “Jenkyns family trait” and she is not afraid to step away from the herd.
“To me, it’s my family, my friends and my little one who matter more than anybody else really,” she explains. “I think as long as you’re being true to what you believe in you can sleep well at night.”
Dame Andrea does not think the present Tory leader took nearly enough EU-era regulations off the statute books when she was Business and Trade Secretary.
“She was tasked with ripping up the rest of the EU laws... She didn’t deliver that.”
Mrs Badenoch, she adds, sent her a “snotty” Whatsapp message when she “called her out” on this.
“If I don’t respect my leader I become a rebel,” she says.
Politics has always been deeply personal for Dame Andrea. She was motivated to jump onto the frontline of democracy when her beloved father, Clifford, died after contracting MRSA. In Westminster, she quickly gained a reputation as a champion of patient safety.
She remembers her dad as a “madcap inventor” who devised a stick for the blind with a flashing light. He was also a man of generosity who bought her a horse while they were living in a council house.
“He bought this field for ￡200,” she says. “So that’s where my love of animals comes from and why I’ve been a vegetarian 25 years.”
Andrea Jenkyns reacts after beating then-Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls in 2015 (Image: PA)
Don't miss...
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves dealt huge new poll blow [LATEST]
'Reform UK facing high point of danger in its fight for political credibility' [LATEST]
Reform UK reveal exact poll result Nigel Farage needs to become next PM [LATEST]
Boris is not welcome in Reform and Kemi's days are numbered - party chairman [LATEST]
SUBSCRIBE Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Then-PM David Cameron with Andrea Jenkyns and other newly elected Conservative MPs (Image: PA)
Trending
He won her an early moment in the limelight when he entered her in the Miss UK contest.
“My dad sent my photo off without telling me and I ended up getting into the final,” she says. “It was an interesting moment.”
Dame Andrea says she is not a “feminist” but a “meritocrat”.
“I love dressing up,” she admits. “I love dresses.”
Her father, a pianist, shared her love of music. She worked as a music tutor and sometimes still performs as a soprano – and friends talk of her spirited renditions of Jerusalem.
Her son shares her father’s name, and the values he taught her remain a guiding light.
“He used to say to me, ‘It doesn’t matter where you come from in life. It’s what’s you do in life that matters.’”
Life as both an MP and a single mum “wasn’t easy”, she admits.
“It would be me and my three dogs and Clifford coming on a train every week,” she says. “It was a juggle but if you believe in something and if you’re well-organised – and I am – you can do anything. And if you love something it doesn’t feel like a job.”
As she knows full well, politics can be isolating and exhausting but she draws strength from her Christian faith and says she is “more energised than ever”.
“I started as a Saturday kid at Greggs bakery at 16,” she says. “I didn’t dream one day I’d be in Parliament.”
DON'T MISS
Powered by
GB News interrupted for breaking news announcement in blow to Keir Starmer
89 Comments
Nigel Farage braces for huge test as Keir Starmer also eyes must-win vote
96 Comments
Nigel Farage could be pulling No10's strings already without even being in power yet
58 Comments
Reform's new by-election candidate wastes no time with savage 3-word swipe at Keir Starmer
401 Comments
Kemi Badenoch warns Tories face 'extremely difficult' local elections
83 Comments
Nigel Farage has last laugh with brutal four-word putdown against heckling protesters
664 Comments
'Fooling no one!' Nigel Farage erupts at Kemi Badenoch over net zero speech
98 Comments
Keir Starmer's huge U-turn on key issue lays bare Labour Party hypocrisy
51 Comments
Nigel Farage declares Reform UK will 'go to war' against teachers' unions
484 Comments
Rachel Reeves admits Labour could break key election pledge
88 Comments
I was in the room for Rachel Reeves' Budget - one thing was 'absolutely desperate'
26 Comments
I was at PMQs - here's my translation of what (I think) waffling Keir Starmer meant to say
97 Comments
Britain must perform one key pivot to boost UK's security and prosperity
6 Comments
Rachel Reeves attempts to end Labour civil war with ￡2bn to build thousands of homes
100 Comments
Discover Effortless Glucose Monitoring : Request a Free TrialDexcom Try Now
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Nigel Farage named most popular alternative to Keir Starmer as PM in bombshell poll
146 Comments
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves dealt huge new poll blow
36 Comments
Gynecologists Recommend This Anti-s agging Bra for Elderly WomenDollylace Read More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Nigel Farage blasts Kemi Badenoch's 'comical' local election promise
99 Comments
Kemi Badenoch slammed as 'weak' by former Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns
53 Comments
Protein Isn't Enough - Here's What Really Builds Muscle After 60Apex Labs
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Nigel Farage unveils three new Reform defectors at latest rally
206 Comments
Kemi Badenoch takes brutal swipe at Nigel Farage after Reform top poll
325 Comments
MD: Building Muscle After 60 Comes Down To This 1 ThingApex Labs
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
GB News interrupted for breaking news announcement in blow to Keir Starmer
89 Comments
Nigel Farage braces for huge test as Keir Starmer also eyes must-win vote
96 Comments
The Secret Revealed: Why All Humming birds Go to My Neighbor's GardenSherem Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Nigel Farage could be pulling No10's strings already without even being in power yet
58 Comments
Reform's new by-election candidate wastes no time with savage 3-word swipe at Keir Starmer
401 Comments
The Easiest Way to Get Your Passport in 2025.GovPlus Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Kemi Badenoch warns Tories face 'extremely difficult' local elections
83 Comments
Nigel Farage has last laugh with brutal four-word putdown against heckling protesters
664 Comments
Discover Effortless Glucose Monitoring: Request a Free TrialDexcom Try Now
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
'Fooling no one!' Nigel Farage erupts at Kemi Badenoch over net zero speech
98 Comments
Keir Starmer's huge U-turn on key issue lays bare Labour Party hypocrisy
51 Comments
Protein Isn't Enough - Here's What Really Builds Muscle After 60Apex Labs
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Nigel Farage declares Reform UK will 'go to war' against teachers' unions
484 Comments
Rachel Reeves admits Labour could break key election pledge
88 Comments
MD: Building Muscle After 60 Comes Down To This 1 ThingApex Labs
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
I was in the room for Rachel Reeves' Budget - one thing was 'absolutely desperate'
26 Comments
I was at PMQs - here's my translation of what (I think) waffling Keir Starmer meant to say
97 Comments
The Secret Revealed: Why All Humming birds Go to My Neighbor's GardenSherem Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Britain must perform one key pivot to boost UK's security and prosperity
6 Comments
Rachel Reeves attempts to end Labour civil war with ￡2bn to build thousands of homes
100 Comments
Nigel Farage named most popular alternative to Keir Starmer as PM in bombshell poll
146 Comments
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves dealt huge new poll blow
36 Comments
Nigel Farage blasts Kemi Badenoch's 'comical' local election promise
99 Comments
Kemi Badenoch slammed as 'weak' by former Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns
53 Comments
Nigel Farage unveils three new Reform defectors at latest rally
206 Comments
Kemi Badenoch takes brutal swipe at Nigel Farage after Reform top poll
325 Comments
GB News interrupted for breaking news announcement in blow to Keir Starmer
89 Comments
Nigel Farage braces for huge test as Keir Starmer also eyes must-win vote
96 Comments
Nigel Farage could be pulling No10's strings already without even being in power yet
58 Comments
Reform's new by-election candidate wastes no time with savage 3-word swipe at Keir Starmer
401 Comments
Kemi Badenoch warns Tories face 'extremely difficult' local elections
83 Comments
Nigel Farage has last laugh with brutal four-word putdown against heckling protesters
664 Comments
'Fooling no one!' Nigel Farage erupts at Kemi Badenoch over net zero speech
98 Comments
Protein Isn't Enough - Here's What Really Build...Apex Labs
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Discover Effortless Glucose Monitoring: Reques...Dexcom
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Up Your SPF and GPA with Georgetown's...Georgetown University
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
The Easiest Way to Get Your Passport in 2025.GovPlus
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
If the voters of Lincolnshire warm to her vision for the mayoralty, a brand new chapter may be about to open.
“I just love my life,” she says.” I love being a mum and everything I’ve done, it’s to fight really for a better future – especially for my little one.
“I don’t regret a thing.”