“Reform recruit Robert Jenrick last night launched a spectacular attack on his former Tory pals after he was sacked for treachery. In the most dynamite defection to Nigel Farage’s party yet, the Shadow Justice Secretary jumped ship after he was caught by party leader Kemi Badenoch, who swiftly fired him yesterday morning. Extracts of his resignation speech had been left “lying around” before being found and passed to Conservative high command — with Tory sources saying it was by a mole in Mr Jenrick’s team. A source close to Mr Jenrick, 44, confirmed a junior aide had been identified as a suspect. The blunder then saw him bring forward his long-planned plot to join Reform UK. The Lib Dems mocked him up as a player in BBC1’s The Traitors. And Ms Badenoch lashed out: “He’s Nigel Farage’s problem now. “It is not a blow to lose someone who lies to his colleagues. This has been a good day . . . bad people are leaving my party.” Mr Jenrick hit back in a speech savaging his former Tory leadership rival and old colleagues… Tory MPs rallied round Ms Badenoch and praised her decisive sacking of Mr Jenrick. On a two-day trip to Scotland, she mixed a cocktail at the Johnnie Walker Experience in Edinburgh. Asked if she was expecting any more defections, she said: “It doesn’t really matter”, adding: “If people are leaving when we are on the up, it’s because they don’t belong in the Conservative Party.”” – The Sun
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> Today:
> Yesterday:
“Robert Jenrick declared that the Conservative Party “broke Britain” in a highly personal attack on former colleagues as he defected to Reform UK. Speaking at a press conference alongside Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, on Thursday, Mr Jenrick called his former party “rotten”, “dishonest” and “no longer fit for purpose”. Arguing that the Tories lacked the “backbone” to solve the country’s problems, the former shadow justice secretary criticised Sir Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, for overseeing an “explosion of the welfare bill” and Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, for enabling “five million migrants to come” to Britain. Writing for The Telegraph, Mr Jenrick also singled out Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, saying her team was not “willing to change”. His shock departure will raise fears in Tory circles of more defections to come and strengthen Mr Farage’s claim that Reform, leading in the opinion polls, is now the main political force on the Right. Mr Jenrick joined Reform hours after Mrs Badenoch had sacked him and kicked him out of the Conservative Party, saying she was presented with “clear, irrefutable evidence” that he was conspiring to jump ship.” – Daily Telegraph
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> Yesterday:
“The elected police chief at the centre of the Israeli football ban row has been accused of offering to give a controversial mosque the equivalent of a “blank cheque” to apply for public funding. Simon Foster, the West Midlands police and crime commissioner, wrote that he would be “very happy” to provide Green Lane mosque with a generic letter of support that would allow it to apply for future, unspecified public grants. Internal documents reveal that in January 2023 Foster also praised the “impressive range of work” at Green Lane, which has a history of antisemitic and misogynistic speakers. Last night he said he supported the charity for a specific grant but ultimately did not issue the wider letter. The previous year a senior figure at the mosque sat on the appointment panel for Craig Guildford, the West Midlands chief constable who is fighting for his job after a review found that “exaggerated and untrue” evidence was used to justify the Maccabi Tel Aviv ban. Guildford has refused to resign despite Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, announcing that she had lost confidence in him. Foster, a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, is the only person with the power to sack Guildford but has not done so, saying he wants to “follow the process”.” – The Times
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