Robert Jenrick has enraged Tories like me | Politics | News | EUROtoday

If there’s one trait that I worth most, it’s loyalty. Not blind loyalty – that may detach you out of your ethical compass – however the form of loyalty that calls for decency, integrity and a way of obligation to those that have supported you. And, as a lot as he claims in any other case, Robert Jenrick’s transfer to Reform has demonstrated an entire bypass of any of these values.

For Tories within the North East, it’s been a torrid few years. We’ve lurched from dismay beneath Theresa May, and her moist dealing with of Brexit, to jubilation when the Boris increase noticed us demolish the Red Wall, and acquire seats in locations we by no means even dreamed attainable. Then, extra not too long ago, got here the Labour wipeout of 2024.

Funnily sufficient, it was in May of that yr that I met Jenrick. He got here out campaigning with us forward of the native elections – together with the election for Tees Valley mayor – that our candidate Ben Houchen went on to win for a 3rd time.

Jenrick appeared nice, quietly spoken, unflashy, and, most of all, like a correct Tory.

Alongside a little bit of a glow up – which he credit to weight reduction jabs – Jenrick appeared to have additionally taken some form of elixir that turbocharged his stage presence, preventing spirit and his fairly rattling spectacular social media output. We all seen. In truth, many people right here backed him for chief of the get together over Kemi, as we believed that, as he was from a city like ours, he understood why levelling up mattered a lot, significantly given Labour appeared to have roundly ditched the thought.

But when Kemi received, we did the Conservative factor: settle for the outcome and rally behind her. That’s to not say we didn’t nonetheless admire Jenrick – we did. In truth, we have been delighted to safe him because the speaker at our annual native affiliation dinner, which was scheduled for later this month.

So you’ll be able to think about our astonishment when his defection was introduced.

Others have departed from the get together with dignity and restraint. Jenrick didn’t – he selected duplicity, spectacle and contempt – not only for his friends however those that’d backed him.

Mark Francois, the Conservative shadow defence minister, summed up my ideas earlier right now in a TalkTV interview.

He stated: “I feel desperately let down by what Robert did yesterday,” earlier than including “and it’s not just what he did, it’s the way that he did it.”

Watching him publicly activate colleagues – together with Mel Stride and Priti Patel – that he’d sat beside simply days earlier than was sickening to look at. As Kemi had predicted earlier within the day, he tried to exit the get together in probably the most damaging means, as he chuckled alongside together with his new boss, Nigel Farage. Grim.

It didn’t need to be this fashion.

Had he merely stated that he was a Conservative at coronary heart however the get together now not mirrored his beliefs, individuals would have revered his honesty. And – if he was a real believer in democracy – he may have stood down as an MP to permit his constituents to make an knowledgeable resolution on the poll field. But maybe that wasn’t a part of the Farage deal.

Duplicity is all the time a bitter capsule to swallow. But are you aware what? Many of us who have been probably nonetheless holding a torch for Jenrick, have big respect for the way Kemi dealt with his backstabbing video games. I feel we’re a stronger get together for it.

So, what about these members he might have hoped would comply with him? His disloyalty will nonetheless be ringing of their ears. And a mistake like that has a behavior of coming again to hang-out you.