A member of the shadow cabinet has said Robert Jenrick’s defection from the Conservatives to Reform UK was “a mistake”, fuelled by “frustrated personal ambition”.
Shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, said Jenrick’s decision to join Nigel Farage’s party came from his upset about not being named party leader.
Speaking to Sky News’s Trevor Phillips, he said: “Let’s keep it into perspective: it’s four (Conservatives) out of 121 and at least one of them, Robert Jenrick, did so out of frustrated personal ambition because he was upset that he didn’t become leader.
“I think Robert should reflect on whether he really wants to join a party whose leader Nigel Farage admires Vladimir Putin, blames Ukraine for getting invaded, and who believes in higher welfare spending and getting rid of the two-child benefit cap so people with 10 kids can have limitless welfare.
“That is what Robert Jenrick has gone to join and I think he’s made a mistake.”
Philp went on to say his party is developing “credible policies”, while Reform doesn’t have any at all.
Philp’s words come after yet another defection earlier this week, with former Tory home secretary Suella Braverman also jumping ship.
We are fighting to win
Philp also said he believes the Conservative Party has a chance to win the next general election.
He said: “I think we are fighting to win the next election. I think we can win the next election.
“I don’t want to overstate it, but the polls [between the Conservatives and Reform UK] are getting a bit closer, and when it comes to the underlying indicators, like, who’s going to make the best prime minister, Kemi is ahead of Nigel Farage and ahead of Keir Starmer.”
He added that he, Badenoch and shadow chancellor Mel Stride, would “move heaven and earth” to make sure the party wins.
Chinese espionage
Philp also claimed that Starmer had returned from his trip to China “empty-handed.”
He said: “He came back, pretty much as far as I can see… a couple of little things here and there, but nothing was really going to move the needle economically.”
When pressed on the agreement secured by Starmer with Chinese president Xi Jinping to lift sanctions on British MPs, most of whom are Conservative, Philp admitted it was a “small step in the right direction”, but would not change anything in regards of espionage.
Philp said: “You think about the scale of China’s espionage activities against the West, and particularly against the UK, it’s not changing anything there.
“They’ve got what they want, which is their super embassy just next to the Tower of London, which will serve as a base for espionage, not just in the UK, but across Europe.”
Philp also claimed that during his tenure as technology minister he saw how the Chinese are systemically seeking to steal sensitive technology, such as semi conductor IPs and quantam computing, by “infiltrating companies and universities”.
He added: “They’re doing that on an industrial scale, and yet, the Government, the Labour Government, have granted them this super embassy.”
