Robert Jenrick has suggested he would consider giving Boris Johnson a job if he becomes the next leader of the Tory party, saying: “Let’s get the Conservative family back together”.
When asked what job he would give the former prime minister during a Q&A at the annual Tory conference, he joked: “I haven’t read his book yet so I want to wait and see what he’s said about me before answering that question.”
It comes after he attracted criticism from 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”.
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.
Former foreign secretary and fellow contender James Cleverly urged him to justify his statement.
The Independent’s political team will be reporting live throughout the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.
Key Points
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Jenrick suggests he would consider giving Boris Johnson a job if he becomes Tory leader
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Cleverly and Jenrick face Tory members on penultimate conference day
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Jenrick doubles down as Tory leadership rivals criticise special forces claim
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James Cleverly says he supports Israel’s ground incursion into Lebanon
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Civil service chief Simon Case to stand down at end of year on health grounds
China could help prop up UK TV by buying Peppa Pig now the licence fee is ‘unsustainable’, Cleverly says
Tuesday 1 October 2024 15:53 , Jabed Ahmed
China could help prop up UK TV by buying Peppa Pig and other content now the licence fee is “unsustainable”, James Cleverly has suggested.
On the future of the TV Licence, Mr Cleverly said: “I had a delegation from the BBC come along to me and say, when I was a new MP, and they did the usual thing: ‘Oh, because of the unique way the BBC is funded ya-ya-ya.’
“And I said to them, and I said to them at the time, this was back in 2015, I said ‘if I were you, at the next renegotiation of the licence fee, I would start your planning to become a subscription service.
“‘You have a back catalogue of some of the best television in the world’. If Disney and Netflix can make money on the subscription model, the BBC should, because the bottom line is, in the era of streaming services, the tax to watch television is an unsustainable business model.
“And that back catalogue of content that we have already paid for, why don’t we make sure that when China obsesses about Peppa Pig – apparently Peppa Pig is very popular in China – and other content, that they pay for it rather than demanding that we pay for it all over again?”
ICYMI: Jenrick says he would ‘absolutely’ reverse VAT on private schools
03:30 , Jabed Ahmed
Robert Jenrick has said he “would absolutely” reverse Labour’s introduction of VAT on private schools if he were to become prime minister.
Speaking about his own experience of being sent to private school, the Tory leadership contender said we “should never bow to the politics of envy”.
Mr Jenrick said: “I grew up to two people from a working-class background. Money was quite tight in our household – my mum and dad had quit their jobs and set up a small business and it didn’t prosper initially.
“I went to a state primary school and my grandad died. And my grandmother, who was not a wealthy person herself, decided – instead of going on a cruise or doing anything else you might do with some money – to spend that money putting my sister and I through private school.
“To me, that is an innately conservative story and we should never bow to the politics of envy. We should respect people who make decisions like that.”
Exclusive: Rishi Sunak draws inspiration from Blair as he plans to stay involved in UK politics with his own team
02:30 , Jabed Ahmed
Read the full report from our political editor David Maddox:
Sunak will not move to California as he plans Blair-style role in British politics
Watch: Tom Tugendhat giving out the Tugend-hat at Tory party conference
01:30 , Jabed Ahmed
Government must put right injustice of colleges having no VAT relief – leaders
Wednesday 2 October 2024 00:30 , Jabed Ahmed
The Government should put right the “injustices” of colleges having to pay VAT to ensure further education students no longer have fewer resources, sector leaders have urged.
Plans to remove the VAT exemption for private schools shows it is “possible” to make changes to the rules, according to a letter to the Chancellor from the Association of Colleges (AoC).
It said colleges spend an estimated £210 million a year on VAT – 3% of income – that they cannot reclaim, which is “a tax” on further education (FE) students.
“The result is that college students have fewer resources spent on them than their peers in schools,” leaders have said.
The letter to Rachel Reeves, signed by around 172 college leaders, has called for the autumn budget to offer colleges the VAT reimbursement that state schools and academies benefit from.
It said: “The imminent extension of VAT to independent schools offers the perfect opportunity to put right the injustice of colleges having no VAT relief despite their strong social inclusion and public service roles.”
Tugendhat says Jenrick knows ‘nothing’ about sensitive military matters amid SAS comments
Tuesday 1 October 2024 23:30 , Jabed Ahmed
Tory leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat has suggested his rival Robert Jenrick knows “nothing about” sensitive military matters.
Mr Tugendhat was asked about the Newark MP’s claims that British special forces had killed terrorists rather than capture them for fear human rights law would free detainees.
He told a Conservative conference fringe event: “It is an extremely serious allegation and without very specific examples it would be – I think – it would be irresponsible to do that.
“I have heard somebody say that we couldn’t have conducted an operation like that against Osama bin Laden, that is simply not true. It is just simply not true.”
Mr Tugendhat, a former security minister, added: “If you present a legitimate military threat to the United Kingdom, then we have under the laws of armed conflict today a legal ability and in fact a military capability to conduct operations to keep the British people safe.
“I am afraid that is simply a fact, and if you don’t know it please don’t comment on military matters you know nothing about.”
Starmer heads to Brussels seeking post-Brexit improvement in EU relations
Tuesday 1 October 2024 22:31 , Jabed Ahmed
Sir Keir Starmer heads to Brussels on Wednesday promising to “put the Brexit years behind us” as he seeks a closer relationship with the European Union.
The Prime Minister will push for a better trading relationship and greater co-operation on defence and security measures.
But he is under pressure to agree to Brussels’ calls for a deal on youth mobility to allow young EU citizens greater freedom to come to the UK to study and work and vice versa, something Sir Keir has so far resisted.
The Prime Minister will hold separate meetings with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, European Council chief Charles Michel and the European Parliament’s Roberta Metsola during his visit to Brussels.
Young director of Tory think tank explains why she backs Kemi Badenoch for leader
Tuesday 1 October 2024 21:37 , Holly Evans
UK universities urge government to restart EU student exchange programmes
Tuesday 1 October 2024 21:30 , Jabed Ahmed
UK universities urge government to restart EU student exchange programmes
Former Tory deputy leader Michael Ancram passes away
Tuesday 1 October 2024 20:57 , Holly Evans
Michael Ancram, a former deputy leader of the Conservative Party, has died at the age of 79, his family said.
A family statement said the 13th Marquess of Lothian, as he was formally known, died in hospital in the early hours of October 1 after a short illness.
He was surrounded by close family.
Shapps launches Conservatives Together group
Tuesday 1 October 2024 20:30 , Jabed Ahmed
The Tories ignored TikTok and failed to attract young people, Grant Shapps said as he launched Conservatives Together, a group that aims to pick the party back up after a record electoral defeat.
The former defence secretary, who lost his own seat in July, told a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference that the organisation was an independent group of MPs, former MPs, candidates and former candidates.
Mr Shapps said it was “definitely not a think tank” and will not be allied to a particular leadership campaign or candidate.
“We are thinking about: ‘How do we support conservatives at every level of the party who are involved in the party to campaign more effectively?’” he said.
Mr Shapps and Lord Kempsell both brushed off comparisons to Labour Together, a Labour think tank aligned with Sir Keir Starmer and now headed up by former Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth.
Conservatives Together presented findings from interviews with 62 defeated parliamentary candidates and Tory MPs.
Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to Netanyahu and King of Jordan
Tuesday 1 October 2024 20:02 , Holly Evans
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister spoke to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this afternoon, and they discussed the escalating situation across the Middle East.
“The Prime Minister condemned Iran’s attack on Israel today in the strongest terms, which began during the leaders’ conversation, and expressed the UK’s steadfast commitment to Israeli security and the protection of civilians.
“During the call, the Prime Minister also underlined the importance of a ceasefire in Lebanon to allow space for a political solution in line with UNSC Resolution 1701.
“The Prime Minister also raised the situation in Gaza and the importance of a ceasefire and action to bring home the hostages.
Sir Keir Starmer had also spoken to King Abdullah of Jordan about the “urgent need for a ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza”.
“The Prime Minister spoke to King Abdullah II of Jordan earlier this afternoon from Downing Street,” the spokesperson said.
“The leaders began by underscoring the urgent need for a ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza. They both called for de-escalation to prevent the extreme humanitarian situation from worsening.
“The Prime Minister said he will work alongside partners and do everything possible to push for de-escalation and push for a diplomatic solution.
“The leaders agreed to stay in touch.”
UK announces sanctions against members of Russian cybercrime gang
Tuesday 1 October 2024 19:30 , Jabed Ahmed
The UK has sanctioned 16 people linked to a Russian cybercrime gang accused of targeting health, government and public sector institutions.
The Foreign Office said Evil Corp’s activities included malware and ransomware attacks, with private commercial technology companies also among those targeted.
It added those sanctioned, in co-ordinated action alongside the United States and Australia, will be subject to a series of asset freezes and travel bans.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “I am making it my personal mission to target the Kremlin with the full arsenal of sanctions at our disposal.
“(Russian president Vladimir) Putin has built a corrupt mafia state with himself at its centre. We must combat this at every turn and today’s action is just the beginning.
“Today’s sanctions send a clear message to the Kremlin that we will not tolerate Russian cyber attacks – whether from the state itself or from its cybercriminal ecosystem.”
Kemi Badenoch suggests that thousands of civil servants belong in prison
Tuesday 1 October 2024 18:55 , Holly Evans
Kemi Badenoch has told an audience at the Tory conference in Birmingham that around 5 to 10 per cent of civil servants should be sent to prison – equating to about 56,000 of Whitehall.
The Tory leadership contender claimed between 5 to 10 per cent of civil servants “are very, very bad. You know, should be in prison bad.”
She listed leaking official secrets, undermining their ministers and agitating against the previous Tory government.
The remarks seem to the be latest gaffe from Ms Badenoch who has already been dubbed “Kemikazi” by her opponents.
Another gaffe came at the start of the conference where she appeared to say she thought maternity pay was too much before clarifying her position.
TUC backs discrimination at work – as long as it is against rightwing former Tory MPs
Tuesday 1 October 2024 18:30 , David Maddox
Former Tory MP Jonathan Gullis made some headlines at the party conference in Birmingham when he announced that he had tried to return to his old profession of teaching but had been blocked unfairly because he had been a Tory MP.
Mr Gullis is now working for Talk TV and had a role on Priti Patel’s ill-fated leadership campaign.
But his travails in finding work have not engendered much sympathy – especially from trade unions.
The TUC quote tweeted him with the comment: “The trade union movement will always stand up for workers facing unfair discrimination. This is not one of those times.”
An indignant Mr Gullis responded: “As a former trade union representative I always stood up for my members, regardless of their views. This is really disappointing to see.”But the TUC has insisted that its comment was “tongue-in-cheek”.
A spokesperson said: “It goes without saying that we oppose all and any forms of unfair treatment at work.
“This was a tongue-in-cheek response to Jonathan Gullis’ accusation that classrooms are full of ‘woke’ activists.
“His faux outrage shouldn’t disguise the fact that he was part of a government that relentlessly attacked teachers and their right to strike. We wish him all the best in finding a new job.”
Cleverly warns against ‘vilifying’ trans people
Tuesday 1 October 2024 18:00 , Jabed Ahmed
James Cleverly has warned against the vilification of trans people, calling for a “thoughtful” approach to gender dysphoria in children.
This came after he said on Monday that children should not be allowed to “dictate” their gender identity to adults.
While he reiterated his statement that “adults have a responsibility to children”, he added: “I’ve got very, very good friends who are lesbian, who are gay, who are trans and I am a freedom loving, live and let live Tory. But we also have to recognise that children deserve the support of parents.”
Asked for his view on the role of charities such as Stonewall, he added: “We should not imply that charity groups are inherently seeking to do harm, because generally they are not. But we also need to make sure we support children…particularly as they go through puberty.”
“I am a little bit uncomfortable, perhaps, where there are permanent life changing decisions that are made by children going through puberty, I’m naturally uncomfortable with that.
“We should be balanced, we should be thoughtful, we should take our responsibility to children seriously but we also shouldn’t’ vilify minority groups”, the Tory leadership candidate said.
Conservative Party leadership candidates call for election to be shortened
Tuesday 1 October 2024 17:30 , Holly Evans
Two Conservative Party leadership candidates called for the election to be shortened so the winner can respond to Rachel Reeves’ Budget.
James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick separately told Tory party members they would be lobbying the party chairman Richard Fuller to bring the election to an early end if they make the final two next week.
Ms Reeves is due to give her first Budget as chancellor on Wednesday 30 October, three days before Conservative members find out who has won the leadership election.
In it she is expected to address the £22 billion blackhole she says officials have discovered in the public finances since they took office.
As it stands it will be the last major set piece parliamentary event for former prime minister Rishi Sunak before he stands down as leader.
Mr Cleverly said: “I think that the new leader should be given the opportunity to respond to it.”
THE INDEPENDENT DEBATE: Who should be the next leader of the Tory party?
Tuesday 1 October 2024 17:00 , Jabed Ahmed
Share your thoughts by adding them in the comments — we’ll highlight the most insightful ones as they come in.
All you have to do is sign up and register your details — then you can take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.
Labour urged to support households with energy bills – as more cold weather payments proposed
Tuesday 1 October 2024 16:30 , Jabed Ahmed
Labour urged to help with energy bills – as more cold weather payments proposed
Cleverly says he will push to end leadership election before October budget
Tuesday 1 October 2024 16:01 , Jabed Ahmed
James Cleverly said he would push for the leadership election to be brought to an end early so the new party leader can respond to Rachel Reeves’s Budget in November.
Mr Cleverly said: “I think that the new leader should be given the opportunity to respond to it.”
He acknowledged that there may be some concern that some members who vote by postal ballot might not be able to get their vote submitted in time. He said he would speak to party chairman Richard Fuller if he is in the final two when the four candidates are whittled down next week.
He added: “I have already said to the party board that I would prefer that we nibble away a couple of days from the leadership (election)… I want to get at them at the first possible opportunity.
“This Budget will define this Labour Party. If we hit them hard, where it hurts, in their economic incompetence that will be a good starting point for the new leader of the party.”
Cleverly suggests Jenrick needs to ‘justify his words’ over special forces claim
Tuesday 1 October 2024 15:36 , Millie Cooke
James Cleverly has suggested leadership rival Robert Jenrick should “justify his words” after claiming that British special forces are “killing rather than capturing terrorists”.
Asked about the remarks, which were made by the former immigration minister in a campaign video, Mr Cleverly said: “Look, whoever said that needs to justify their words.
“I’ve never accused the British armed forces of murdering anybody and if you’re going to make that accusation you need to back it up.”
Cleverly claims dozens of migrants could have been sent to Rwanda if election was delayed
Tuesday 1 October 2024 15:27 , Jabed Ahmed
Conservative Party leadership contender James Cleverly said “dozens” could have been sent to Rwanda under Rishi Sunak’s plans for asylum seekers and illegal migrants, if the election had been delayed.
Speaking on the main stage of the Conservative Party conference, Mr Cleverly said if the election had not taken place earlier this year – with the incoming Labour Government scrapping the policy – more people would have gone to the East African country.
He said: “I reckon at this point we could have sent dozens of people to Rwanda.
“It’s not just about the people that you sent to Rwanda, because ideally you don’t want to be receiving people in the UK and sending them to Rwanda, you want people to stop coming to the UK.”
He compared the plan to the success of the agreement with Albania, which saw illegal arrivals from the country drop by 90%.
Mr Cleverly said: “The deal that we had with Albania… we didn’t need to send very many Albanians back to Albania before the message cut through ‘Don’t waste your time and money trying to get to the UK, because all they do is kick you out again’. That’s what would have happened once we got Rwanda up and running.”
Jenrick says he doesn’t supported creating a definition of Islamophobia
Tuesday 1 October 2024 15:24 , Jabed Ahmed
Leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick told the Tory party conference that he does not support creating a definition of Islamophobia, because there was “not a satisfactory way to do that, that maintained freedom of speech in our country”.
He added: “I think if you shout Allahu Akbar in an intimidating manner, of course context is everything, clearly not if one is doing it as millions of British Muslims and Muslims all over the world do in a peaceful manner, every day, a prayerful manner.
“But if you shout it in an intimidatory manner, then it’s right that action is taken, and that is what the law says. The law gives the police the ability to take action.
“Now, whether it’s that or scenes like we saw over the course of the last year, someone shouting ‘jihad’ off Oxford Street and the police putting out a tweet saying that it was perfectly okay.
“Someone projecting a genocidal chant onto Big Ben, and nothing really happening. People praising the Houthis on the streets of London when they were firing missiles at British flagged vessels. That is wrong, that is wrong, that is not the country I want to live in.”
Watch: Robert Jenrick admits his daughter’s middle name is ‘Thatcher’
Tuesday 1 October 2024 15:07 , Jabed Ahmed
Analysis: Robert Jenrick is the GB News candidate
Tuesday 1 October 2024 15:01 , David Maddox
If anyone wonders why Robert Jenrick looks so relaxed on the conference stage being grilled over what he believes it could be down to who is leading the event.
GB News’s political editor Christopher Hope (aka Chopper) is putting the questions to each of the leadership candidates in extended sessions.
Yesterday Tom Tugendhat and Kemi Badenoch took their turns, today Mr Jenrick and James Cleverly.
It was supposed to be Camilla Tominey (also of GB News and the Daily Telegraph) putting the questions as well but one of the candidates objected to her at the last minute.
Nevertheless Mr Jenrick may well be feeling at home with a GB News interrogator. He was the only candidate to turn up to the GB News party and could be seen dancing to popular numbers late at night.
More than that though, Jenrick also gave a speech at the event where he not only pledged his support for GB News but announced that “the Conservative Party under my leadership – if I am lucky enough to win – will have nothing to do with companies that refuse to advertise on GB News.”
A bold statement linked to the successful Hope Not Hate campaign which has led many companies to refuse to advertise on the rightwing broadcaster famed for being a platform for Nigel Farage.
Robert Jenrick is “sorely tempted” to scrap the TV Licence fee
Tuesday 1 October 2024 14:57 , Jabed Ahmed
After a series of policy questions and asked about TV licensing, he said: “Well I’m sorely tempted to say that I would scrap it but look, I have three young daughters. They watch so little terrestrial TV. They’re on YouTube on their tablets, their iPads. I think it’s difficult to see the long-term future for the licence fee, but you know, that’s a question we’ll have to give a lot of thought to.”
Asked whether he would “restore the winter fuel payment to pensioners”, the Conservative Party leadership hopeful replied: “Yes.”
If Labour rids the Lords of hereditary peers, Mr Jenrick said he would “probably not” reverse the move.
He said: “Well I like hereditary peers but probably not. I think that isn’t quite our new, modern Conservative Party but I feel sad when traditions get lost like that.”
On ending “Labour’s ban on grammar schools”, Mr Jenrick said: “Absolutely. I went to Wolverhampton Grammar School. My constituents go to grammar schools. I want to expand grammar schools. I want to create new grammar schools. I created a free school in my constituency which would have been a grammar school if we’d been allowed to do it.”
Jenrick says he would ‘absolutely’ reverse VAT on private schools
Tuesday 1 October 2024 14:55 , Jabed Ahmed
Robert Jenrick has said he “would absolutely” reverse Labour’s introduction of VAT on private schools if he were to become prime minister.
Speaking about his own experience of being sent to private school, the Tory leadership contender said we “should never bow to the politics of envy”.
Mr Jenrick said: “I grew up to two people from a working-class background. Money was quite tight in our household – my mum and dad had quit their jobs and set up a small business and it didn’t prosper initially.
“I went to a state primary school and my grandad died. And my grandmother, who was not a wealthy person herself, decided – instead of going on a cruise or doing anything else you might do with some money – to spend that money putting my sister and I through private school.
“To me, that is an innately conservative story and we should never bow to the politics of envy. We should respect people who make decisions like that.”
Jenrick says he would like to cut the top rate of tax
Tuesday 1 October 2024 14:48 , Jabed Ahmed
Asked whether he would cut the top rates of tax, Robert Jenrick has suggested he would do so, stating: “I would like to do that.”
The Tory leadership hopeful went on to say: “I don’t think it would be sensible for me to make up our fiscal policy right now, because actually one of the big tasks for me, or whoever leads this party beginning in November, is to restore our economic credibility.”
Later in the session, Mr Jenrick said the Tory party should be “obsessed” with reforming the NHS.
He said: “So our party needs to be obsessed with how we can reform the NHS. Don’t treat it like a religion to be worshipped. Treat it like a public service to be reformed.”
Later asked whether voting Remain at the Brexit referendum was a mistake, he replied: “I wouldn’t do it again with hindsight.”
On whether Nigel Farage should join the Tory party, he said: “I don’t think the party could afford the bar bill if we invited Nigel Farage back in. On a serious note, my view of Reform is this, I think it’s a symptom, not a cause. It exists in its current state because we failed.”
Jenrick says he would reinstate Rwanda plan if in government
Tuesday 1 October 2024 14:40 , Jabed Ahmed
On leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, Robert Jenrick said without it he is “certain we would have got flights off to Rwanda”.
He said: “I cannot predict what that would have meant for the general election, but I think I can confidently say it would have been a hell of a lot better than it was.”
On the Rwanda deportations plan, Mr Jenrick said he would reinstate it if he led a future government. He said: “Look, I would do because I believe you have to have a deterrent.”
The Conservative Party leadership hopeful claimed diplomacy and using the National Crime Agency “isn’t enough”, and he added: “You have to inject a deterrent into the system but there is one further thing you’ve got to do if you care about securing our borders and that is you do have to leave the European Convention on Human Rights.”
Mr Jenrick continued: “We made big promises and didn’t keep them and if we are lucky enough to get back into government in the future, I never want to let down the British public again. If we are given a second chance, we won’t be given a third chance.
“So a party like ours has to stand for ending illegal migration and the only way to do that is to get rid of this arsenal of laws that are used by illegal migrants to frustrate their removal from our country.”
Jenrick suggests he would consider giving Boris Johnson a job if he becomes Tory leader
Tuesday 1 October 2024 14:35 , Jabed Ahmed
Robert Jenrick has suggested he would consider giving Boris Johnson a job if he becomes the next leader of the Tory party, saying: “Let’s get the Conservative family back together”.
Asked what job he would give the former prime minister, Mr Jenrick joked: “I haven’t read his book yet so I want to wait and see what he’s said about me before answering that question.”
“The Conservative party is in a hole right now, we need to get all our best players on the pitch.
“Now people can do that in many different ways. In parliament, out of parliament, campaigning advising, so if I was lucky enough to lead this party, Boris, Penny Mordaunt, Andy Street – let’s get the Conservative family back together.
“Let’s get back in business again”, he added.
Robert Jenrick reveals that his daughter’s middle name is ‘Thatcher’
Tuesday 1 October 2024 14:30 , Jabed Ahmed
Robert Jenrick has revealed that his daughter’s middle name is “Thatcher” because she was born the year Margaret Thatcher died.
Being interviewed on the main stage of the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, the former immigration minister said he thought it would be a “good way of reminding her of a great prime minister.”
Asked what his daughter’s middle name is, Mr Jenrick responded: “You’re embarrassing her now.”
“It is Margaret Thatcher”, he joked, adding: “No, it’s not, it’s ‘Thatcher’.
“She was born the year Margaret Thatcher died. As I respect strong women – in fact, everyone is female in my house, I’ve got three daughters, my wife and two dogs which are both female – I thought it was a good way of reminding her of a great prime minister.”
Pictured: Robert Jenrick addresses the Conservative Party Conference
Tuesday 1 October 2024 14:28 , Jabed Ahmed
Tory leader candidate doubles down on claim special forces are killing terrorists
Tuesday 1 October 2024 14:27 , Holly Evans
Asked whether he believes “special forces are killing rather than capturing terrorists because lawyers will set them free under the European Court”, Robert Jenrick replied: “I do, I do.”
The Conservative Party told delegates and activists in Birmingham: “Our very respected former colleague Ben Wallace, one of the best defence secretaries in modern times, used his first intervention after leaving office to make almost this very point.
“He said that he would think it was difficult for the UK, our armed forces, to conduct a similar operation to the one that the United States did to kill or capture Osama bin Laden.
“That’s wrong. I don’t want our human rights apparatus to be standing in the way of taking the right operational decisions for our national security and for protecting the lives of the brave men and women who serve in our special forces.”
Jenrick reflects on decision to resign from Sunak’s cabinet
Tuesday 1 October 2024 14:24 , Holly Evans
Questioned about his resignation from Rishi Sunak’s cabinet before the election, Robert Jenrick saidit was a “very sad” decision and said: “I didn’t want to be just another minister who makes and breaks promises.”
He said that he disagreed with the Rwanda Bill as it was presented and would have been unable to convince colleagues of “that it was a good bill when I knew it was a bad bill”.
“And that was wrong for me as an individual, wrong for our party. And I don’t want our party to keep making and breaking promises on things that matter so much to this country. That is immensely damaging to this party and immensely damaging to trust in politics.”
When told he“contributed” to the election defeat in July by resigning, he said he was always a “team player” and had developed a reputation as “immensely loyal” to the Conservative Party.
Robert Jenrick says he would turn down freebies
Tuesday 1 October 2024 14:15 , Holly Evans
Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick has said he would turn down freebies, referencing the recent controversy that has surrounded Sir Keir Starmer.
When asked if his family was ready for the scrutiny he would face if elected as leader of the party, he said: “I’ve got three young girls and they have all been reading the papers, reading the news. And one of them said to me the other day does this mean we’re going to get free tickets to Taylor Swift? And I said to Sophia, no that’s only for leaders of the Labour Party.”
Asked whether he would turn down free gifts, Mr Jenrick laughed and said: “Yes, I will.”
Jenrick faces heat from Tory rivals as he appears on conference main stage
Tuesday 1 October 2024 14:09 , Holly Evans
Robert Jenrick is facing heat from his Tory leadership rivals for claiming UK special forces are “killing rather than capturing terrorists”, as he is set to appear on the Conservative conference main stage.
Mr Jenrick, frontrunner in the race to succeed Rishi Sunak, suggested in a campaign video the British military is taking lethal action because of fears that European human rights laws would free any detained assailants.
He was met with swift criticism from his campaign rivals.
Former security minister Tom Tugendhat suggested it demonstrated “a fundamental misunderstanding” of the law of armed conflict.
James Cleverly – who will also appear on the main stage at the Birmingham conference on Tuesday – told broadcasters Mr Jenrick would have to “justify that statement”.
Watch live: Robert Jenrick and James Cleverly address Tory party conference
Tuesday 1 October 2024 13:57 , Holly Evans
Watch live: Robert Jenrick and James Cleverly address Tory party conference
Half Tory members want party to merge with Reform, poll for Liz Truss’s thinktank reveals
Tuesday 1 October 2024 13:48 , Holly Evans
A new survey commissioned by a rightwing thinktank has suggested that 53 per cent of Conservative Party members would support a merger with Reform UK.
A huge 70 per cent said they would want a closer relationship with Nigel Farage’s party, the survey showed.
The poll, which was conducted between September 23 and 27, spoke to 470 Tory members by the rightwing Popular Conservatism (PopCon) organisation, which founded by disgraced former prime minister Liz Truss.
Read the full article here:
Half Tory members want to merge with Reform, poll for Liz Truss’s thinktank reveals
Tory policies drive wedge between young and old people, conference hears
Tuesday 1 October 2024 13:29 , Jabed Ahmed
Tory policies such as the national service scheme drive a wedge between the younger and older generations, the Conservative Party conference has heard.
In its election manifesto, the party pledged to make national service compulsory for 18-year-olds, with the choice of military service or one weekend a month volunteering locally.
The policy, which was estimated to cost £2.5 billion, received a ministerial backlash, with then-Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker arguing the proposal was “sprung on candidates”.
On Tuesday, North Tyneside councillor Olly Scargill said: “I think in the general election some of what we campaigned upon was a wedge issue, wedge issues between young people and older people.
“Things like national service was probably designed to play off younger people and older people, and when you’ve got a rising age of Conservative voter it is incredibly unsustainable.”
Migrants to be stuck in hotels for up to three years due to asylum backlog
Tuesday 1 October 2024 13:25 , Holly Evans
Migrants could be housed in hotels for up to three more years because of the asylum backlog, it has emerged.
Since Labour’s general election win, home secretary Yvette Cooper is said to have realised that clearing the backlog of asylum seekers will take longer than she had hoped.
It could now take as long as three years to deliver on her promise to “end asylum hotels” made during the campaign, with Whitehall sources saying the picture is “much worse than we thought”.
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Migrants to be stuck in hotels for up to three years due to asylum backlog
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