'Never been happier to be rid of the dying cult': Jenrick savages Tories and rules out any right-wing pact

From the Newshound archive · first published 9 October 2026 · last updated 10 October 2026.

Robert Jenrick has launched a blistering attack on Kemi Badenoch and the Conservative Party, declaring the party of Disraeli "dead" and insisting Reform will never strike a coalition deal with his former colleagues. Jenrick repeatedly branded Badenoch "Kensington Kemi", claiming her policies serve "millionaires, not Mansfield" after the Tories pledged inheritance tax exemptions on property and extended free childcare for higher earners. The broadside marks a sharp escalation in the breakdown of relations between Reform and the Conservatives.

Jenrick accused Badenoch of 'sticking two fingers up' to working people and said a Tory pact would be like being 'handcuffed to a zombie'.

He claimed the Tories have abandoned the Essex man and Worcester woman in favour of chasing Lib Dem voters and handing out 'bungs for Belgravia'.

Jenrick was mocked at the recent Conservative conference, where delegates depicted him as a crying baby on a satirical Bayeux tapestry.