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?

25-year-old Victoria Thomas Bowen previously denied the charge of assault by beating after throwing a McDonald’s milkshake at Nigel Farage in Clacton. She has now pleaded guilty…

Farage was leaving a Wetherspoons at the time while on the campaign trail. Bowen has now also pleaded guilty to causing £17.50 of damage to a Nigel’s bodyguard’s jacket. She will be sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in December….

Reform is stepping up its campaign to take down the Tories, reportedly preparing to unveil a “high-profile” candidate should Rishi Sunak step down. Though sources close to Sunak insist they’d be “surprised” if he steps down, his recent absence from the public stage is raising eyebrows. Reform sources claim Sunak and his deputy, Oliver Dowden, are gearing up to resign their seats. Sunak’s still eyeing the sunny shores of the Golden Coast…

Meanwhile, a Reform insider says that Nigel has “two former Tory MPs and one current Tory MP ready to defect’” and contest any forthcoming by-elections. Reform’s momentum is growing: they’re now more popular than Labour, and Labour aides are reportedly worried the party could surpass them in voting intention polls by the time of the local elections in May. With over 100 local branches launching soon, Reform continue to position itself as the real opposition…

As Labour pontificates about the “danger” of a party like Reform while pretending not to be worried about it, new research reveals Farage’s electoral operation is actually more popular with punters than Starmer’s is. The fledgling party is gaining ground with the public…

In polling carried out by JL Partners of 2,000 adults, 27% have a positive or very positive view of Labour. Compared to 28% for Reform…

“Reform and Nigel are more hated,” people always say. That isn’t the case either: 41% have a negative or very negative view of Reform compared to 47% who view Labour negatively. Reform’s increasing popularity will be viewed with some concern in Labour – more in CCHQ…

‘The real opposition’ releases their party political broadcast. The first made with AI…

Ahead of the Tory leadership candidates’ flagship speeches this morning Nigel Farage has helpfully appeared on Good Morning Britain to provide his views.

“They’ll speak today in the conference hall to be the next Tory leader – they all think with a new leader it’ll all be fine, ‘the voters will come back to us’ and what they don’t understand is that the Conservative brand is completely damaged they have no chance of winning the next election.”

Farage does beat every single hopeful by a wide margin with the public on having “what it takes to be a good Prime Minister” according to Ipsos. Meanwhile a majority of Tory members want an official merger with Reform and 70% want a closer relationship. Nigel slapped down that idea again, too…

“I wouldn’t trust them anyway, they have a pattern of behavior – pretending to be one thing and then when they’re in government being quite the opposite. And and frankly what I’m trying to do with Reform is to replace them.”

Leadership hopefuls have been jollying around a Conference buoyed by Labour’s bad press. They have made almost no progress on articulating a real strategy for what to do about Nigel. Without one, if Westminster returns to the politics of two parties, the Tories might not find themselves one of them…