All posts tagged: Jenrick

Jenrick Slammed By Ex-Tory Colleague For Reform Defection

Jenrick Slammed By Ex-Tory Colleague For Reform Defection

Published by Sam Flores

Richard Holden accused ex-Conservative Robert Jenrick of “jumping into bed with the first people who would have him” in a scathing BBC Question Time takedown. Jenrick was kicked out of the Conservative shadow cabinet in January after leader Kemi Badenoch unearthed his plans to defect. Hours later, Reform leader Nigel Farage announced that his party had acquired yet another ex-Conservative. Jenrick was announced as Reform’s “shadow chancellor” – or Treasury spokesperson – this week. On BBC Question Time, the Newark MP tried to justify his decision by slating the Conservatives. Despite serving as the cabinet-attending immigration minister under Rishi Sunak, health minister under Liz Truss and housing secretary under Boris Johnson, Jenrick said: “I want to have a good government running this country for once, which we haven’t had for along time.” “Obviously, that is a government you were a part of,” host Fiona Bruce pointed out. “Yeah and I resigned from that government,” he insisted. “In the last parliament, I was the only person to resign on a matter of principle.” Jenrick resigned from …

Farage deploys Jenrick to calm Britain’s bankers – POLITICO

Farage deploys Jenrick to calm Britain’s bankers – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

It’s an effort to reassure investors and businesses that Reform can be trusted with the British economy. It was only last month that his party leader, Nigel Farage, told the World Economic Forum in Davos he doesn’t like banks, would scrap interest payments lenders receive through the BoE’s quantitative easing program, and refused to rule out appointing his own governor to the central bank. Earlier this year Farage stated that he was giving “serious thought” to scrapping the OBR, which provides independent analysis of government spending plans. In November, Farage and his deputy Richard Tice U-turned on a plan to dish out £90 billion in tax cuts, which was initially pledged in the party’s 2024 election manifesto. Jenrick will vow Wednesday that Reform UK will be focused on “restoring stability” and “eliminating wasteful spending.” Although Jenrick will claim that the BoE would keep its independence under a Farage government, he will add that the Bank would be stripped of “ancillary responsibilities,” such as considering the impact of climate change, and will follow his leader in …

Farage Gives Jenrick Plum Job As Reform’s ‘Shadow Chancellor’

Farage Gives Jenrick Plum Job As Reform’s ‘Shadow Chancellor’

Published by Sam Flores

Nigel Farage has declared Robert Jenrick will be his de-facto “shadow chancellor” within Reform UK. As Reform has promised major tax cuts, the MP for Newark will have to field intense scrutiny over just how their sums might add up without causing major upset to the markets. Jenrick only defected to the party last month, having served as the official justice secretary for the Tories under Kemi Badenoch. During the same press conference, Farage announced MP for Boston and Skegness, Richard Tice, had been appointed as the “shadow business, trade and energy secretary” along with the title of future “deputy prime minister”. He vowed to crack down on “net stupid zero”. Farage also gave Zia Yusuf – who is not an MP – the Home Office brief, meaning he is in charge of Reform’s plans to crack down on immigration with mass deportations. Former Tory home secretary Suella Braverman, who defected just three weeks ago from the Conservatives, was appointed as Reform’s shadow education and skills secretary. She pledged to ban all social and gender …

Bungling Robert Jenrick And Suella Braverman Accidentally Vote To Scrap Two-Child Benefit Cap

Bungling Robert Jenrick And Suella Braverman Accidentally Vote To Scrap Two-Child Benefit Cap

Published by Sam Flores

Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick when they were in Boris Johnson’s cabinet. NurPhoto via NurPhoto via Getty Images Reform UK MPs Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick voted to scrap the two-child benefit cap – even though their party is now in favour of keeping it. The bungling pair accidentally walked into the wrong voting lobbies in the House of Commons on Tuesday night. The five other Reform MPs who took part voted against scrapping it, in keeping with what is now their party’s policy. One Labour MP said the mix-up showed they “couldn’t run a bath, let alone a country”. Reform UK sources initially tried to claim that it was a “genuine mistake” by Braverman and Jenrick – who both defected from the Tories last month – and that their votes had not been registered. However, official Commons records show that the pair did vote along with Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP, DUP and Plaid Cymru to scrap the cap. The motion to end the cap, which was introduced by the last Tory government …

People in Newark: share your views on Robert Jenrick defecting to Reform UK | Robert Jenrick

People in Newark: share your views on Robert Jenrick defecting to Reform UK | Robert Jenrick

Published by Sam Flores

After months of denials, Robert Jenrick finally defected to Reform UK last week. Nigel Farage called it the “latest Christmas present I’ve ever had”, while Conservative MPs called him a “coward” and a “traitor”. In Jenrick’s Newark constituency, his former Tory colleagues were aghast. Sam Smith, a local councillor, said the defection was “a betrayal to the voters of Newark”, who voted for conservative policies and values as well as “a betrayal to his friends who have helped him get re-elected.” But what do Jenrick’s constituents make of Jenrick’s defection? We would like to speak to people who live in Newark about what they think. We are interested in talking to Conservative and Reform voters in particular, about how they feel about losing/gaining Jenrick as an MP and what changes now in light of his defection to Reform UK. Share your experience You can tell us what you make of Jenrick’s defection using this form. Your responses, which can be anonymous, are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to …

Robert Jenrick ‘told Kemi Badenoch to kick Liz Truss out’ of the Conservatives | Politics News

Robert Jenrick ‘told Kemi Badenoch to kick Liz Truss out’ of the Conservatives | Politics News

Published by Sam Flores

Robert Jenrick claims he told Kemi Badenoch to kick former prime minister Liz Truss out of the Conservative Party because of her “cackhanded” mini budget. The former shadow justice secretary, who defected to Reform last week, told Sky News Mornings with Ridge and Frost that Ms Badenoch’s refusal to do so was one of the reasons he decided to leave. Politics live: PM to make Downing Street speech He said: “If I’d been leader of the Conservative Party, and that’s obviously ancient history now, I would have chucked Liz Truss out of the party because the mini budget was careless and cackhanded. “It did cause in the moment, real harm to people.. people’s house sales fell through, they were worried about their mortgages, investments, their pensions. That’s wrong. “That is not somebody who should be a member of your political party.” He added: “And the point I was making is, has the Conservative Party changed? I don’t believe it has. “If the party has really changed, why wouldn’t you kick Liz Truss out? You know, …

Jenrick defection makes it more likely Reform will win general election, says senior party figure Zia Yusuf | Politics News

Jenrick defection makes it more likely Reform will win general election, says senior party figure Zia Yusuf | Politics News

Published by Sam Flores

A leading Reform figure has told Sky News that Robert Jenrick’s defection to the party is a “really important milestone” and “makes it more likely that we win the next general election”. Until he was kicked out of the Conservative Party by leader Kemi Badenoch on Thursday, Mr Jenrick was the shadow justice secretary and had served more than 11 years as a Tory MP. Ms Badenoch said she had found out he was plotting to defect in “a way designed to be as damaging as possible” and then sacked him. Image: Robert Jenrick with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, following his defection from the Tories. Pic: Reuters Hours later, Mr Jenrick was unveiled as the latest high-profile recruit to Reform UK by leader Nigel Farage, in a week where the party had already welcomed former Tory chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi. Politics latest – follow live Mr Jenrick has conceded he was “resolved” to switch to Reform before he was given the boot. Speaking about Mr Jenrick’s switch, Reform’s head of policy Zia Yusuf told Sky …

Huge boost for Badenoch as voters deliver verdict on Jenrick | Politics | News

Huge boost for Badenoch as voters deliver verdict on Jenrick | Politics | News

Published by Sam Flores

Kemi Badenoch’s decisive sacking of Robert Jenrick has received resounding support from Daily Express readers. We asked you if you thought the Conservative Party leader made the right decision and our poll results show the vast majority back her move. In total, 2,496 readers responded to the poll published soon after Mrs Badenoch kicked Mr Jenrick off the Tory frontbench and suspended his party membership on Thursday (January 15). An impressive 1,635 of those who delivered their verdict said the Tory leader was right. This was more than double the number of readers who said Mrs Badenoch was wrong. This group totalled 760 while 101 readers said they were not sure, according to the Express poll. The sacking and subsequent defection to Reform UK by Mr Jenrick prompted mixed opinions among readers who added their views to the poll. A reader commenting under the name “SetonDuring” said: “Mrs Badenoch should be thanked for this tough and right expulsion.” Fellow reader, “Corona”, disagreed, commenting: “Bad move by Badenoch, but I can understand why she did it. …

Jenrick and Badenoch go to war in fiery Daily Express showdown | Politics | News

Jenrick and Badenoch go to war in fiery Daily Express showdown | Politics | News

Published by Sam Flores

Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have each vowed to rescue Britain from Labour’s grip following their explosive split. In duelling articles for the Express, both promised to fight for the country’s future after one of the most dramatic days in Westminster. The turmoil erupted on Thursday when shadow cabinet minister Mr Jenrick defected to Reform UK, hours after Mrs Badenoch publicly sacked him on social media. Writing in the Daily Express, the Conservative Party leader said: “Conservatives know Britain cannot be fixed with slogans or grievance politics. It will be fixed with credible, conservative solutions. I will not talk this country down when I know how great it can be. I will tell the truth about what is broken – and then I will fix it. “Britain has faced harder moments than this and emerged stronger every time. Labour are making a terrible mess of the country but, as we have done throughout history, I am confident the Conservative Party will be ready to clean up that mess. We have the team, the plans and …

Robert Jenrick sacked by Tories and embraced by Reform – what his Newark constituency tells us about the future

Robert Jenrick sacked by Tories and embraced by Reform – what his Newark constituency tells us about the future

Published by Sam Flores

Within just a few hours of being publicly sacked from the shadow cabinet by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, , Robert Jenrick held a press conference to announce he was joining Reform. Badenoch cited “clear, irrefutable evidence” the Jenrick had been plotting to defect to Reform in a maximally damaging way. In his press conference, Jenrick attacked his former party, painted a bleak view of the state of Britain and declared that Nigel Farage was the only person who could save it. Jenrick has said that he doesn’t intend to trigger a by-election, which means the people of Newark, his constituency in the English East Midlands, have lost a Conservative MP and gained a Reform one. Newark will then, come a general election, become a test of Reform’s penetration into traditional Tory shire heartlands. Here, the 2024 election results already looked like a warning light: the Conservatives held on against Labour but Reform emerged as a meaningful third force. Newark is an affluent market-town and rural seat, where traditional Tory loyalty has long dominated. Jenrick held …