Conservative leader candidates will take part in GB News hustings at 7pmMichael Gove, the former Tory cabinet minister who is now editor of the Spectator, has said that having Robert Jenrick as leader might hold the Tories back because he looks like a “Tory boy”.Gove has long been a strong supporter of Kemi Badenoch, who worked for him as a junior minister in the communities department, and so it is not surprising that, when asked about both candidates in an interview for the Today programme’s podcast, he chose to praise her more than Jenrick.Robert’s strengths are diligence, rigour, hunger. He is someone who has focused in on some of the big questions that have been the Conservative party’s internal conversation. And he has answers; you may not like them, but he has precise and specific solutions.Now, I think one of Robert’s weaknesses, and I speak as someone who has the same déformation professionnelle, he looks like a typical Tory politician.So am I. It’s a stain that I bear. And given the strength of feeling against Tory boys expressed at the last general election, that’s a challenge.I’m very fond of Kemi because at a critical moment when I was running for the leadership in 2019 she was conspicuously brave in my defence, when she didn’t need to be. And courage is Kemi’s hallmark.So one of the criticisms directed at her is that she’s too willing to get involved in a scrap. I actually think it is a virtue.There are lots of conversations happening right now across government, between the chancellor, with members of the cabinet, as you would expect in the usual way as part of the budget process.Education is always a priority for Labour governments.What I’d say to you is you don’t have too long to wait to hear the chancellor announce her budget in just under a fortnight, so I’m afraid everyone’s going to have to wait until 30 October to see exactly what’s in the budget.Sources said there was concern “right across the cabinet”, and particularly in departments whose spending was “unprotected” …A senior Treasury source said that ministers had not understood the scale of the challenge facing Reeves. “They’re using a classic trade union negotiating tactic,” the source said. “But we don’t have any spare cash lying around to give them. This is only phase one of the spending review — as soon as the budget is over, we’re going to have to do this all over again.” Continue reading…
Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2024/oct/17/tory-leader-robert-jenrick-kemi-badenoch-labour-keir-starmer-uk-politics-latest-news
Author : Andrew Sparrow
Publish date : 2024-10-17 08:48:10
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Tories would do better with Jenrick as leader than Badenoch, poll suggests ahead of leadership hustings – UK politics live
