UK politics live: Top Tories turn on Jenrick after ‘astonishing’ claims SAS are ‘killing terrorists’
Leadership rival Tom Tugendhat says he is “extremely concerned” at Mr Jenrick’s remarks, while fellow contender James Cleverly urged him to justify his statement
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Robert Jenrick has drawn criticism for his own colleagues for doubling-down on a claim that UK special forces are “killing rather than capturing terrorists”.
The frontrunner to replace Rishi Sunak defended his assertion that the military is taking lethal action because of fears that European laws would free any detained assailants as “absolutely correct”.
Leadership rival Tom Tugendhat said he was “extremely concerned” at Mr Jenrick’s remarks, while fellow contender James Cleverly urged him to justify his statement.
It was put to the former immigration minister that he is unable to back up his claim, to which he replied BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Of course I’m not going to elaborate on particular cases because these things, these cases are not things that any minister or foreign minister can speak about.”
Former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve described the clip as “one of the most astonishing videos I have ever seen posted by a Conservative MP, let alone a candidate for the leadership”.
A Labour source said: “Robert Jenrick’s ludicrous attempt to politicise our special forces shows you how far the Tories have fallen. He should apologise. Our brave servicemen and women deserve better than this.”
The Independent’s political team will be reporting live throughout the <em>Conservative Party conference</em> in Birmingham.
Jenrick insists his values have not changed over Brexit u-turn
Robert Jenrick insisted his “values haven’t changed” when asked why he voted to remain in the EU in the Brexit referendum but later backed leaving the bloc.
The Tory leadership frontrunner told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I got behind the democratic decision of the people of this country.”
He added that he had realised while serving as a minister in the Home Office that “we were not able to secure our borders and to keep the public safe”.
“My values haven’t changed, but it’s certainly true that over time the things I have seen in the ministerial jobs that I have done have led me to conclusions that the British state isn’t working in the interests of the British people, and in particular my time at the Home Office where I saw that we were not able to secure our borders and to keep the public safe, which to my mind is the most basic duty of our country,” Mr Jenrick said.
Top Boris Johnson critic calls for Tories to ban self-obsessed MPs
Top Boris Johnson critic calls for Tories to ban self-obsessed MPs
Former Tory minister Jesse Norman says the party must prove it puts public good before personal ambition - or face even bigger defeat at next election
Defence spending should be increased to 3 per cent, Tugendhat says
Tom Tugendhat said there was a “very clear argument” that defence spending should be increased towards 3%.
The Tory leadership candidate told LBC: “There’s a very, very clear argument that in order protect ourselves to make sure we’re ready for whatever the world throws at us, we need to be increasing defence spending to 3% and investing in technology.”
He added: “Frankly, it’s an insurance premium that if we don’t pay, the alternative is more expensive.”
Tory leadership contender refuses to commit to reversing winter fuel payment cull
Tom Tugendhat has declined to commit to reverse Labour’s cuts to the winter fuel payment if he becomes Tory leader, saying he would not “undermine” his promise to restore trust in politics by writing a budget “four years’ out.”
The shadow security minister told LBC: “I’m not going to write a budget for four years’ time. You know that it wouldn’t be honest for me to do so.
“I’m not going to promise to restore trust and immediately undermine it by making promises that are four years’ out… there’s no way that anyone can write it at this stage.”
He said under his leadership the Tories would “look after old people” by “making sure we support them in difficult times”.
James Cleverly says he supports Israel’s ground incursion into Lebanon
James Cleverly has said he supports Israel’s military incursion into Lebanon.
Asked on Sky News if he supports Israel’s ground operation in Lebanon, the former foreign secretary said: “I do, and the reason why is what I have always said, Israel has the right to defend itself.
“Israel has been at the receiving end of rockets from Hamas, who are embedded within Lebanese society. I love Lebanon. I’ve been to Beirut.
“I’ve spoken with representatives of many of the parts of Lebanese society on a very, very regular basis.
“But Hezbollah are doing huge damage, not just to Israel, but to the Lebanese people.
Those rockets have been raining down for months, and Israel has now taken action.
“My support has always come with the caveat that Israel must continue to adhere to international humanitarian law. They absolutely have the right to defend themselves.”
For context, Israel’s military says it has begun a “targeted” ground operation in southern Lebanon, with its troops conducting raids on Hezbollah targets and infrastructure along the border.
The UK is in desperate need of an effective opposition
If the atmosphere at the Labour conference was a good deal less euphoric than might have been expected for a party just returning to government on the back of a landslide majority after 14 years in the wilderness, the mood among Conservatives as they assembled in Birmingham was a little more upbeat than might have been predicted, given the scale of the party’s election defeat.
This slight uplift, however, largely reflected the missteps of the new government in its first weeks, rather than any achievement of the Conservatives over the same time.
Read the full editorial here:
The UK is in desperate need of an effective opposition
Editorial: The country needs not just a strong government with the integrity and service ethic that the prime minister initially promised, but a Conservative front bench capable of holding them to account
Robert Jenrick says Star of David should be displayed at every point of entry to the UK
Robert Jenrick has said the Star of David should be displayed at every point of entry to the UK to show “we stand with Israel”.
The Tory leadership frontrunner told a Conservative Friends of Israel event he wanted Britain to be “the most welcoming country in the world for Israelis and the Jewish community”.
He said that, while immigration minister, he had pushed for Israelis travelling to Britain to be able to use e-gates. He said this would mean that at “every airport and point of entry to our great country”, there was a Star of David, as a “symbol that we support Israel”.
Read the full article here:
Jenrick says Star of David should be displayed at every point of entry to the UK
Tory leadership frontrunner addressed Conservative Friends of Israel event in hoodie emblazoned with words ‘Hamas Are Terrorists’
Liz Truss tried to play the (‘anyone but me’) blame game – but (guess what!) she blew that, too
I don’t know which would be worse: if it turned out that Liz Truss didn’t actually believe a word she says and was just trying to kowtow to the lowest common denominator – or if she really is just... like that.
At a fringe event held by the Telegraph on day two of the Tory conference, the former prime minister faced questions from journalist and historian Tim Stanley, in a format he jokingly compared to the infamous Frost/Nixon interviews.
While the event itself didn’t make any clearer the true depths of her political convictions, what it did make clear is that Truss is on a one-woman mission to “save the Western world” – although, based on the content of her answers, it seems like “the Western world” is just a fun nickname for “her own reputation”. Actually, maybe it wasn’t so clear after all.
Read the full article here:
Liz Truss tried to play the (‘anyone but me’) blame game – but she blew that, too
The former PM tried to defend her disaster of a mini-Budget and claimed she’d be better for her party than Rishi Sunak – and then it just got more embarrassing from there, writes Ryan Coogan
Who should be the next leader of the Tory party? Join The Independent Debate
Tell us who should be the next leader of the Tory party
We want to hear your thoughts on the direction the Conservatives should take to win back voter support—and who should lead the party’s recovery
Fake tan, friendship beads and Bobby J hats handed out to win over Tories
Attendees of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham have seen the four leadership hopefuls wanting to replace Rishi Sunak handing out all manner of merchandise - from lollipops to beauty products.
Although freebies and gifts have left Sir Keir Starmer and his government under increased scrutiny recently, the potential future leaders of the opposition have not been able to give merch away quickly enough to draw in Tory support.
While the usual fare of pens, badges and stickers are all available, each one - Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat, Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly - has tried to beat the competition with eye-catching gimmicks.
Read the full article here:
Fake tan, beads and hats: Leadership candidates’ merch handed out to win over Tories
News analysis: While freebies and gifts have left Keir Starmer and his new government under scrutiny, Tory leadership candidates have not been able to give merchandise away quickly enough. Here is what it says about each of the four candidates
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments