Guido hears Robert Jenrick and Mark Francois had a blazing row as the pair crossed paths in the GB News studios yesterday. Francois had just appeared on Martin Daubney’s show, in which he gave a chest-beating defence of the Tory record on supporting Northern Ireland veterans. Reform had that morning attacked both the government and the Conservatives for “[refusing] to stand up for the rights of veterans”. Jenrick happened to be walking in as Francois was leaving…
It was quite the shouting match. Francois told Guido:
“For context, some months ago, I helped Rob by setting up an interview with a Chelsea Pensioner – who had previously been pursued by Sinn Fein – and Rob subsequently made a video about it. I challenged him on why, having helped set that up for him (he was VERY keen to it) he could say that the Conservatives had “done nothing” about NI Veterans – for years. He didn’t really have an answer…”
Moments later, Jenrick said on-air that the likes of Francois and Iain Duncan-Smith had been ‘lone voices’ within the party who had stood up for veterans. Still, no love lost…
After being blocked from standing at the Gorton and Denton by-election, Andy Burnham said at the Centre for Social Justice:
“I’m very much focussing on my job. I’ve said everything I think I’m going to say about that.”