Robert Jenrick cuts Kemi Badenoch poll lead but faces backlash over ‘ludicrous’ SAS comments – UK politics live
Robert Jenrick has drawn closer to Kemi Badenoch by four points in a head-to-head poll of Conservative members.
Mr Jenrick was almost 20 points behind the former business secretary six weeks ago. However, a new YouGov poll has shown the former immigration minister is beginning to reverse his fate as the annual Conservative Party conference enters its penultimate day.
Some 52 per cent of Tory members preferred Ms Badenoch as Tory leader while 48 per cent backed Mr Jenrick.
However, Mr Jenrick has drawn criticism for his own colleagues for doubling-down on a claim that UK special forces are “killing rather than capturing terrorists”.
The frontrunner to replace Rishi Sunak defended his assertion that the military is taking lethal action because of fears that European laws would free any detained assailants as “absolutely correct”.
Leadership rival Tom Tugendhat said he was “extremely concerned” at Mr Jenrick’s remarks, while fellow contender James Cleverly urged him to justify his statement.
A Labour source said: “Robert Jenrick’s ludicrous attempt to politicise our special forces shows you how far the Tories have fallen. He should apologise. Our brave servicemen and women deserve better than this.”
The Independent’s political team will be reporting live throughout the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.
Key Points
Jacob-Rees Mogg says opinion polls are ‘nonsense’
Former business secretary Jacob-Rees Mogg has said the Tories were too influenced by focus groups and opinion polls in government.
“The answer I was often given by people in government at the time was that lockdowns were very popular,” he told The Telegraph.
“They were getting 60, 70, 80% popularity ratings in the opinion polls. But you mustn’t believe those opinion polls, they’re basically nonsense.
“People want to give the worthy answer. You’ve got to recognise that government by focus group, government by opinion poll, doesn’t work. You need to govern by what you believe in …
“That’s what Margaret Thatcher did and I think we were much too seduced by government by focus group, government by opinion poll.”
In the run up to the 2024 General election, most opinion polls predicted Mr Mogg to lose his North East Somerset seat. He did, in fact, lose his seat to Labour’s Dan Norris.
Cleverly cups and Tugendhat fake tan: The Tory party conference’s most popular merchandise
These are just some of the Conservative leadership candidate’s merchandise available at the party conference in Birmingham.
The Independent took a closer look at the products on offer from the four hopefuls wanting to replace Rishi Sunak as leader.
The contest is set to go from four to two in the next fortnight, and then members will have their final choice in the run-off.
While the merchandise may not truly swing votes, it does give an indication of the strength of each campaign team.
Jenrick doubles down as Tory leadership rivals criticise special forces claim
Robert Jenrick has doubled down on his widely criticised claim that UK special forces are “killing rather than capturing terrorists” after a Conservative Party leadership rival accused him of misunderstanding the law of armed conflict.
The frontrunner in the race to replace Rishi Sunak defended as “absolutely correct” his assertion that the British military is taking lethal action because of fears that European laws would free any detained assailants.
Asked on Tuesday whether he could back up the claim, he insisted he could not “elaborate on particular cases”.
Leadership rival Tom Tugendhat said he was “extremely concerned” at Mr Jenrick’s remarks, while fellow contender James Cleverly urged him to justify his statement in media appearances on Tuesday morning.
Mr Jenrick drew condemnation from across the political divide over his claim in a promotional video for his leadership bid that special forces are “killing rather than capturing terrorists because our lawyers tell us that if they are caught the European court will set them free”.
Businessman says he made £75,000 Jenrick donation amid transparency concerns
A prominent businessman has named himself as the source of a £75,000 donation to Robert Jenrick amid transparency concerns over the ultimate origin of the funds.
Entrepreneur Phillip Ullmann said he gave the money to the Conservative Party leadership frontrunner through Spott Fitness, a fitness coaching app provider which he said is “part of my family’s group of businesses”.
However, Mr Ullmann’s name does not currently appear on the list of people with significant control in Spott Fitness at Companies House, leaving a question mark over his formal links to the organisation.
The UK elections watchdog has said it is “considering carefully” a letter from Labour demanding an investigation into the source of the money after Mr Jenrick received three donations of £25,000 from the business in July.
Its latest accounts show it has no employees, has never made a profit and has more than £300,000 of debts, and in January it registered a loan from Centrovalli, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands.
Coming up: Cleverly and Jenrick face Tory members on penultimate conference day
James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick will face a grilling from Conservative members on the main stage of the party conference during its penultimate day.
The two hopefuls to succeed Rishi Sunak will follow in the footsteps of rivals Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat, who were questioned by members on Monday.
The Birmingham conference, a subdued affair in which Tory members are seeking to regroup after their crippling election defeat, was overshadowed by global events as it headed into its third day.
On Monday, Ms Badenoch and her campaign team continued to grapple with the aftermath of her suggestion that statutory maternity leave pay was part of an “excessive” function of tax.
Speaking on the main conference stage, she compared her remarks with the often-repeated quote attributed to Margaret Thatcher that there is “no such thing as society”, from an interview the ex-prime minister gave to a women’s magazine about the importance of family.
Jenrick insists his values have not changed over Brexit u-turn
Robert Jenrick insisted his “values haven’t changed” when asked why he voted to remain in the EU in the Brexit referendum but later backed leaving the bloc.
The Tory leadership frontrunner told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I got behind the democratic decision of the people of this country.”
He added that he had realised while serving as a minister in the Home Office that “we were not able to secure our borders and to keep the public safe”.
“My values haven’t changed, but it’s certainly true that over time the things I have seen in the ministerial jobs that I have done have led me to conclusions that the British state isn’t working in the interests of the British people, and in particular my time at the Home Office where I saw that we were not able to secure our borders and to keep the public safe, which to my mind is the most basic duty of our country,” Mr Jenrick said.
