Guido asked a simple question of Jenrick at his speech just now: “How do you respond to Farage’s claim that you have no personality?” Jenrick responded: There’s a reason he’s talking about me and not Badenoch…
“I think he’s rattled. Why is Nigel Farage speaking of me and not my opponent in this contest? Because he doesn’t want me to be leader of the Conservative Party. I might not be on the stage at the Reform Conference dancing to Frankie Valli and punching balloons but I’ve got a track record. I resigned on a matter of principle on the very issues that he has stood for… He knows that if I am leader of this party he will be in retirement and that all small C conservatives will return to our fold. That is what I offer, that’s why he doesn’t want me to be leader of this party, that’s why he wants my opponent to win.”
Strong words against Badenoch and straddling mockery of Nigel with an attempt to stress that they agree on policy. No attempt to claim that Robert does actually have a personality…
Jenrick’s message is clear: Farage wants Badenoch to win in his goal of destroying the Tories. Will it be enough to win over the members?
Badenoch’s team briefed yesterday that they were “slightly concerned at possible narrowing of the race… ConHome poll tomorrow rumoured to be positive for Jenrick.” At which point Deputy Editor Henry Hill made clear that he was the only one with the ability to see the score, and even he hadn’t checked it…
The final event in ConHome’s closely-watched leadership polling series has Kemi leading by 24 points at 55%. Jenrick sits on 31% and 14% say they don’t know. Kemi is up 4 points from the beginning of September, Jenrick is down 3. A decisive lead. The poll is of 828 members – the largest number so far…
Jenrick is giving a speech on foreign policy and defence this morning. He better hope it makes an impression…
Robert Jenrick is still on his media appearance campaign. On BBC Breakfast this morning he was asked if Michael Gove was right to say he looks too much like a “Tory boy.” Jenrick didn’t mince his words:
“Well, the last person I would take advice from in a leadership contest I think is Michael Gove… I don’t know what [Tory boy] really means… I didn’t come from a traditional conservative background. Neither of my parents were card carrying members of the Conservative Party… I don’t consider myself to be a ‘Tory boy.’ I want the Conservative Party to be the trade union of working people right across this country.”
A rebrand of the Tories as the ‘trade union of working people’ along Canadian lines doesn’t gel well with the Tory boy image. No yellow cards in this spat…
Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick are set to be grilled by Christopher Hope and audience members on GB News’ Decision Time: The Race to Lead. After Hope tossed a coin, Jenrick is first up. It’s the first (and potentially only) televised leadership hustings before voting for Tory members closes on 31st October. Expect some fiery words from Jenrick on immigration and the ECHR. Guido will give you live updates below:
The Spectator’s new editor Michael Gove spoke to the BBC’s Today Podcast this morning. Apart from saying he’d vote for Kamala Harris, Gove said one of Jenrick’s weaknesses is that “he looks like a typical Tory politician,” which is unhelpful given the “strength of feeling against Tory boys” across the country. He went on to praise mentee Badenoch’s “courage”…
Now a spokesman for Jenrick fires back:
“Michael Gove and his acolytes have been responsible for so much of the infighting and drama that has led our party to where it is. Rob’s going to end that drama and the excuses that followed and just deliver for our country.”
Rats in a sack. The Speccie will be a fun read if Jenrick wins the leadership…
As Tory members start casting their ballots, Jenrick and Kemi continue to bicker about the future of…leadership debates. Last week, Guido reported that The Sun’s “Never Mind the Ballots” debate was scrapped, with both leadership camps spinning their own tales about why. Now Jenrick is demanding a debate on BBC Question Time, saying he was “delighted to accept” their invitation. Though CCHQ’s rules, laid out back in July, are clear: “all candidates must agree not to participate in any televised hustings unless arranged by the Party Chairman.” Jenrick might be jumping the gun there…
Now it’s reported that Team Jenrick is alleging CCHQ is blocking further leadership debates because Party Chairman Richard Fuller—who’s meant to keep neutral—is secretly backing Badenoch. Worth remembering Fuller did vote in the final two round of MP votes, despite claiming he wouldn’t….
Meanwhile, Jenrick effectively sacked Fuller over the weekend, announcing he’d be bringing Jacob Rees-Mogg in as Chairman, a move that Guido hears didn’t go down too well at CCHQ. Now, Team Jenrick is going on the offensive. Yellow cards, anyone?
UPDATE: A spokesperson for Richard Fuller said: “The chairman is and has remained neutral throughout the contest. TV debates and hustings are to be agreed by the party board and are for the campaign teams to decide to commit to.”
