In response to Robert Jenrick’s forced departure from the Conservative Party, I have received two diametrically opposed types of message. One group, who filled the ‘Mail Moggs’ on GBNews last night, all say “Follow your brilliant daughter and join Reform”. The other type, often sent to me more directly, say “Stick to the Tories”. The latter is the advice I am following, and I thought it worthwhile explaining why.
Yesterday was not a good day for the Conservative Party. To lose an energetic shadow minister, who has an eye for a newsworthy story and was a contender for the leadership, is unquestionably a blow. Kemi Badenoch handled it well; she acted decisively and showed herself to be a leader who would not shy away from a tough decision. It was a day that could have been much worse.
Kemi, by pre-empting Jenrick’s departure, ensured that it was not the media fest for Reform that it could otherwise have been. Importantly, he did not take any allies with him. Had a dozen or so fellow Tory MPs also defected, then it could have been a knockout blow to the Conservative Party. This has not happened, so Jenrick’s move, while important, is not decisive.
From Reform’s point of view, the forced timing was not easy either. A hasty press conference following an interruption to the launch of the Scottish parliamentary election campaign was not ideal, but neither was it catastrophic. As problems go, it was one that could easily be taken in Nigel’s stride.
In his speech, Robert’s critique of the previous Conservative government was not unfair. There was little he said that I disagree with, and I am sure that there are, indeed, still some Conservative MPs who do not see the problem. I would not have made his rather inelegant attacks on Mel Stride or Priti Patel, but that is more a matter of taste, and an aversion to ad hominem attacks.
Inevitably, people will remind Jenrick that he was a supporter of all the recent Tory administrations, starting life as a staunch Cameroon who opposed Brexit. He must bear some of the responsibility for what went wrong and for failing to oppose it until the very end.
I am in a similar position, although I was a more vocal critic of our mistakes as they were happening than he was. If I agree with his analysis and admire Nigel Farage, as I do, why do I not follow him over?
