Politics LIVE: Badenoch snipes at 'threatened' Farage over unearthed comments lauding her 'genuine conviction'
Badenoch's grip loosens as poll puts Jenrick match-up on knife-edge
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Tory leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch has taken a swipe at Nigel Farage after unearthing comments made by the Reform UK leader in 2022.
The Shadow Housing Secretary, who is regarded as the current favourite among grassroots Tories, shared an article penned by Farage on social media.
Writing about Badenoch's 2022 leadership bid, the Clacton MP said: "Of those left in the contest, only Kemi Badenoch has the genuine conviction to talk about legal and illegal immigration, completing Brexit by leaving the ECHR and ending the poison that has been taught to our children in schools.
"Her manner is refreshing in comparison to what we have become used to in Westminster politics."
Sharing the article two-years later, Badenoch quipped: "I preferred Nigel's earlier work.
"He used to talk about me as the only one with conviction to tackle illegal and legal immigration ... but since seeing me as the next Conservative leader and a threat to winning back Reform voters, he's stopped doing so. Oh well..."
The latest spat comes after Farage criticised Badenoch in a post about the Tory leadership hopefuls this week.
He said: "Kemi Badenoch has spent weeks positioning herself as tough on immigration.
"But in 2018 she campaigned in Parliament to increase legal migration, and was the biggest champion for students bringing in dependents. I don't believe a word that she says on anything."
The North West Essex MP was on the offensive about Reform UK when she sat down with GB News' political editor Christopher Hope yesterday.
She labelled the populist party's leadership as not "real conservatives" or "serious people".
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Ex-Tory MP left furious as 'woke' schools full of 'activists' refuse him job offer
Jonathan Gullis
GB NEWSFormer Conservative minister Jonathan Gullis has taken aim at Britain's education system, saying "woke" schools meant he was unable to get a job.
The ex-Stoke-on-Trent North MP said that he had applied for a few jobs since losing his constituency seat in July but was yet to even be called for an interview.
Gullis worked as a secondary school teacher before he entered the House of Commons.
"I’ve applied for a few jobs and sadly not even had an interview yet," he told Times Radio.
"When I entered teaching it was always slightly more centre-left leaning, but I always felt that it was fair.
"When I left the profession to enter parliament I felt being a Conservative was something that was treated with disdain."
He added there were "too many activists in the classroom" and schools were pursuing a "very woke agenda".
Gullis said: "I do think there are a lot of schools that will see who I used to represent and maybe my views which they may not like. And because of that, not because of what I can do as a teacher, I won’t even be given an interview.
"I think that’s a damning indictment on the profession that I do love and do care about."
Cleverly repeats apology for date rape joke - 'I messed up!'
Tory leadership hopeful James Cleverly has yet again apologised for date rape joke, conceding he "messed up".
The Shadow Home Secretary said: “You don’t want to hear what Mrs Cleverly said to me after that. If you think that got me in trouble, repeating the words she said to me would get me in an awful lot of trouble, particularly on a live broadcast.
“Look, I messed up, I was trying to make a point that I was the home secretary who was updating the law to make spiking illegal, to protect women. I was trying to be... I was trying to make that point to a number of journalists.
“The point I was making, I was trying to amplify the point that I was taking action on a really serious issue. It was wrong, it was crass, I apologised at the time, my frustration is in doing that it undermined really serious work. It was totally my fault. But you take it on the chin, you accept the criticism, you recognise that you’ve done something wrong and you make good. That is what I’ve done.”
Cleverly slaps down Reform UK over immigration - 'They can't dictate the agenda'
Tory leadership hopeful James Cleverly has railed against shifting to the right to accommodate the rise of Reform UK.
Speaking to GB News' political editor Christopher Hope, the Shadow Home Secretary said: “It wouldn’t have been necessary. And also the point is good generals fight the battles on the battleground of their own choosing.
“Someone who said explicitly they want to destroy our party is demanding we have this row at this point and I have no intention of letting some other political party dictate our agenda."
Robert Jenrick reveals surprise middle name he gave one of his children
Robert Jenrick has revealed that the middle name of one of his daughter's is Thatcher.
The Conservative MP said he gave the middle name to his child after they were born in the same year the former prime Minister died.
"I thought it was a good way of reminding her of a great prime minister," he says.
Robert Jenrick warns Tory status quo must change
Robert JenrickPAConservative leadership contender Robert Jenrick is being interviewed by GB News' Christopher Hope on the main stage at the Conservative Party conference.
In a warning to party members he says the Tories must change if they are to ever be elected again.
He says: "I think our party has just suffered its worst-ever electoral defeat, the worst since 1832.
“We’ve just suffered this terrible defeat and I think when a party suffers a defeat like that, when it’s been rejected by the electorate, you can’t continue with the stale status quo that we’ve been. You’ve got to change. I stand for change.
“I want to change the offer of our party to the public, I want to change the operation of our party. I believe I have a diagnosis of what’s gone wrong, I believe I’ve set that out quite clearly, and I believe I’ve got a very clear sense of where I want to take this party, where I want to take the country.”
'Bear responsibility!' Rees-Mogg rages at Sunak over plot to topple Johnson
Rishi Sunak REUTERSSir Jacob Rees-Mogg has urged Rishi Sunak to "bear his responsibility" after the former Chancellor kickstarted a Cabinet cabal which toppled Boris Johnson in the summer of 2022.
Rees-Mogg told The Telegraph’s The Daily T podcast: “I’m not entirely blaming it on him because the party, through the idiocy of going through all those leaders, had got itself into a lunatic situation that people didn’t know what they were going to vote for.
“They were going to vote for Rishi Sunak but who were they going to vote for the day after? We were changing our leaders in the way that some people change their shirts.
“We were changing too often and we treated the electorate with contempt. And Rishi must bear his responsibility for that because he wanted to get rid of Boris which was a stupid thing to do, it was a terrible mistake.”
‘Punch the bullies!’ Tory MP rejects Rees-Mogg’s Reform merger call in scathing attack against ‘egotistical’ Farage
Tory MP rejects Rees-Mogg’s Reform merger call in scathing attack against ‘egotistical’ FaragePA/GB NEWSA Tory MP has launched a scathing attack against "bully" Nigel Farage as he rejected Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg's call for the Conservative Party to make a "generous" electoral offer to Reform UK.
Orpington MP Gareth Bacon, who serves as Shadow London Minister, joined a Popular Conservatives fringe event this morning to address the threat posed by the populist party after the 2024 General Election.
Jenrick doubles down on claims ECHR is forcing SAS to shoot not capture terrorists
Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick has doubled down on his claim that UK special forces are "killing rather than capturing terrorists" due to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The Newark MP said that the British military is taking lethal action because of fears that European laws would free any detained assailants.
He said the ECHR is "forcing decision-makers to make decisions which they might not ordinarily make".
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."
Badenoch's grip loosens as poll puts Jenrick match-up on knife-edge
Badenoch's grip loosens as poll puts Jenrick match-up on knife-edgePAKemi Badenoch's grip on the Tory leadership contest has loosened after an opinion poll put Robert Jenrick just four-points behind in a head-to-head match-up.
The former Immigration Minister's boost comes after being 18-points behind the Shadow Housing Secretary just six weeks ago.
YouGov put Badenoch on 52 per cent, while 48 per cent backed Jenrick's bid.
The pair emerged as frontrunners in the first two ballots held by Tory MPs, with Jenrick receiving 33 votes and Badenoch claiming 28 supporters.
GB News' political editor will grill Jenrick and Shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly in the ICC later today after being joined by Badenoch and Shadow Security Minister Tom Tugendhat yesterday.
YouGov's poll had Jenrick beating Cleverly by a 52 per cent to 48 per cent score, with Badenoch opening up a slightly larger eight-point lead over her fellow Essex MP.
Tugendhat fared the worst in the final round poll, losing to both frontrunners by 16-points.
David Lammy urges Britons to leave Lebanon
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has urged Britons in Lebanon to leave the country immediately, warning of the "volatile" situation in the Middle Eastern country.
He wrote o social media: "The situation in Lebanon is volatile and getting worse.
"The UK Government is providing an option for British nationals to leave now. My message is clear – take it."
The Government has chartered a commercial flight out of Lebanon to help British nationals wanting to leave following escalating violence in the region.
It comes after the Israeli military said it had begun a “limited, localised” operation against its Hezbollah targets in the region.
Tice rejects Reform pact with Tory party
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has rejected the idea of an electoral pact with the Conservative Party.
He told Jacob Rees-Mogg on GB News: “I think that what Reform is doing is we are essentially invoking a coup on the philosophy of Conservatism, because too much of the Conservative Party just abandoned that for some new philosophy called Con-Socialism.
“You couldn't really tell the difference between the Tory Party and the Labour Party. And you and I know Jacob that competition is a good thing. It makes everybody perform better.
“Reform’s got the momentum at the moment. I think hopefully you would accept that the Tory brand is somewhat toxic, but we can't do a deal with a party as broad a church as the Conservatives, that is so broad."
Chopper's Political Podcast being filmed live at Tory conference
GB News Politics Editor Christopher Hope has just finished recording the latest episode of Chopper's Political Podcast.
He was joined by Tory party chairman Richard Fuller to discuss the state of the Conservative Party now that it is back in Opposition for the first time in 14 years.
You can listen to the full interview tomorrow from 6am.
GB News set to host Tory leadership debate
GB News is set to host the first confirmed televised leadership event between the two final Tory leadership candidates on October 17.
The two MPs will debate their ideas for Britain and the future of their party with Conservative members live on The People's Channel.
Tugendhat warns UK more dangerous after Labour wobble on defence spending
Tom TugendhatGettyShadow Security Minister Tom Tugendhat has pledged to increase defence spending to three per cent of GDP as he issued a warning about Labour's threat to the UK.
The Tory leadership hopeful slammed Sir Keir Starmer's Government for making a 2.5 per cent spend of GDP on defence an "ambition" rather than a promise.
He said: “Like tens of thousands of soldiers I served proudly in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"In Basrah and Helmand I saw the consequences of Labour’s utter failure to provide the kit that is needed. Soldiers going into battle without body armour, Land Rovers meant for Belfast being destroyed on the streets of Baghdad and helicopters unavailable to supply reinforcements or to get casualties to hospital.
"Labour simply cannot be trusted with the defence of our nation.
"Keeping our nation and the British people safe is the number one priority of any government.
"The threats the United Kingdom and our allies are facing are numerous and growing, so we must ensure our Armed Forces have the funding and equipment they need.
"This is exactly what I will do as the next Conservative Prime Minister.
“I will always make sure our Armed Forces have the funding and resources they need.
"Not only because I have seen first hand the consequences of failing to deliver the kit our forces need first hand, but because I will never gamble with our defence and security.”