Kemi Badenoch has woken up this morning to calls for her to sack her Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick after a leaked recording showed the top Tory vowing to "bring this [Tory-Reform] coalition together" to block Sir Keir Starmer from returning to No10.
Jenrick, who vowed to put Reform UK "out of business" during his 2024 Tory leadership bid, even faced calls to quit after it appeared his rivals interpreted his comments as support for an electoral alliance.
However, the Newark MP appeared to indicate that he would try "one way or another" to make sure Reform UK and the Tories do not compete at another general election.
Speaking at a UCL Conservative Association dinner, Jenrick said: "I want the fight to be united.
Robert JenrickPA"And so, one way or another, I'm determined to do that and to bring this coalition together and make sure we unite as a nation as well."
He added: "[Reform UK] continues to do well in the polls. And my worry is that they become a kind of permanent or semi-permanent fixture on the British political scene.
"And if that is the case, and I say, I am trying to do everything I can to stop that being the case, then life becomes a lot harder for us, because the right is not united."
In the recording, which was obtained by Sky News, the Newark MP added: "And then you head towards the general election, where the nightmare scenario is that Keir Starmer sails in through the middle as a result of the two parties being disunited. I don't know about you, but I'm not prepared for that to happen."
Jenrick has since denied the suggestion that the Shadow Justice Secretary was advocating for a pact with Reform UK.
Reform UK leader Nigel FaragePAA source close to Jenrick said: "Rob's comments are about voters and not parties.
"He's clear we have to put Reform out of business and make the Conservatives the natural home for all on the right, rebuilding the coalition of voters we had in 2019 and can have again.
"But he's under no illusions how difficult that is - we have to prove over time we've changed and can be trusted again."
However, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper turned the heat up this morning by urging Badenoch to sack her Shadow Justice Secretary.
She said: “The cat is out of the bag, senior Conservatives are plotting a grubby election deal with Nigel Farage.
“Kemi Badenoch should sack Robert Jenrick now if she’s serious about ruling out a pact with Reform. Anything less would show she’s either too weak to sack him or that she agrees."
Sir Keir Starmer
PARLIAMENT TV
Just moments later, Labour Party Chairwoman Ellie Reeves added: “Kemi Badenoch needs to urgently come clean as to whether she backs her Shadow Justice Secretary in doing grubby deals with Reform behind the electorate’s back or if she will rule it out.
“If she disagrees with Robert Jenrick, how can her leadership have any credibility whilst he remains in her Shadow Cabinet?"
Sir Keir Starmer could not help but land a few digs at both the Tories and Reform over Jenrick’s “coalition” comments.
During a grilling about the Supreme Court ruling at Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer said: "The man who most of her party want to replace her has admitted that Reform and the Tories are working together.
"He said I want this fight to be united. He said he's determined to bring this 'coalition, as he calls it' together one way or another. Well, I think we know what that means."
"They're not Conservatives, they're a con."
Farage, who was chuckling at the Prime Minister in the House of Commons picked up on Starmer’s comments on social media.
He said: “The Prime Minister says I will eat the Tory party for breakfast. He’s right, but I’m having Labour for lunch too.”
