Robert Jenrick engaged in ‘blatant manoeuvring’ against Tory leader, says Powell

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick is engaging in “blatant manoeuvring” against the Tory leader, MPs have heard.

Commons Leader Lucy Powell said Mr Jenrick is in “open leadership campaign mode” and if Kemi Badenoch “was a strong leader” she would have “sacked him by now”.

Ms Powell referred to a letter pictured on social media where Mr Jenrick offers to campaign alongside Conservative local election candidates.

Part of the letter reads: “We in Westminster have a lot of work to do to restore the position of the party, to suppress Reform and take the fight to Labour.”

Earlier this week in an audio recording obtained by Sky News, Mr Jenrick could be heard saying he wanted the “fight” against Labour to be “united” and vowing to create a “coalition” to achieve that.

A source close to Mr Jenrick later said he had been talking “about voters and not parties”.

During Business Questions in the Commons, Tory shadow Commons leader Jesse Norman chose to focus his remarks on the Government’s “U-turn on the ban on sourcing photovoltaic cells built with slave labour in China”, also criticising Labour’s wider energy policy.

Ms Powell said Mr Norman “didn’t want to use this opportunity to make his party’s pitch in the forthcoming local elections but maybe that’s because they’re not quite sure what their pitch is”.

She told MPs: “I’m still not quite sure what the Conservative Party’s strategy is at these elections, and perhaps the shadow leader would want to enlighten us as to that.

“Is it what’s being proposed by the shadow justice secretary in the form of an alliance with Reform? Because if that isn’t their strategy, why hasn’t he been sacked?

“The Leader of the Opposition used her flagship pre-election Today programme interview this week to tell us of her one big achievement – Tory party unity.

“I nearly spat out my tea because the benches opposite can barely muster a cheer for her at PMQs and the shadow justice secretary, he’s in open leadership campaign mode.

“Because, in fact, this week, I’ve seen a letter that the shadow justice secretary has sent to all Conservative candidates standing in the local elections with his clear leadership pitch and offering ‘lunch with Robert’.

“By the way, this all was on House of Commons headed paper which to me looks highly questionable.

“It’s blatant manoeuvring and a strong leader would have sacked him by now, but isn’t it the truth?

“At the elections next week, a vote for the Conservatives is a vote for Reform. A vote for Reform is a vote for the Conservatives.”

A source close to Mr Jenrick said: “Powell’s comments are a mixture of straightforward lies and conspiracy theory.

“Labour’s record in office has been so abysmal that she’s been forced into desperate attempts to deflect.”

Mrs Badenoch denied that there were any “personality disagreements” between her and the shadow justice secretary.

Asked whether she had spoken to Mr Jenrick, she told broadcasters in Nottinghamshire: “There’s nothing for me to say to him.

“I did actually see him yesterday. We had a very good conversation.

“People are always trying to create personality disagreements which just aren’t there.

“He is a valued member of the team, he works very hard and he is holding Labour’s feet to the fire and holding the Government to account in the shadow justice role and that’s what I want to see.”

Later in the session Liberal Democrat shadow commons leader Marie Goldman raised the case of her party colleague Wera Hobhouse who was denied entry to Kong Kong.

Last week the MP for Bath was held and questioned at Hong Kong airport when she flew there to see her son and newborn grandson, before being sent back to the UK.

Ms Goldman said: “(Ms Hobhouse) tells me that having come all that way only to be bundled off on the next flight home with no explanation, was a big shock, and she was close to tears.

“Her son was waiting for her, for her and her husband just a short distance away in the arrivals lounge, but she never saw him.

“This is extremely worrying and has far reaching and very concerning implications.”

Ms Powell said it is “a matter of deep and great concern” to MPs.

She said: “She is absolutely right to say that it is unacceptable for a Member of Parliament to be denied entry to another country simply for being a Member of Parliament, albeit on a private visit in this case.

“The Government has relayed our deep concerns with this incident to the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities, and we will continue to press these issues with them over the coming months.”