UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Robert Jenrick urged the Conservative Party to accelerate policy reform, warning that delays could jeopardize its future in a fast-moving landscape.
As reported by the Guardian, the shadow justice secretary has urged the party to act swiftly on new policies or risk political isolation in today’s fast-moving digital landscape.
What did Robert Jenrick say about the urgency for Tory policy reform?
The shadow justice secretary refrained from directly criticizing Kemi Badenoch for her slow pace in developing policies. He acknowledged the need for reflection after the election loss. However, he warned that without swift action, the Conservative Party faces an existential threat.
In response to questions on new policy development, Mr Jenrick said,
“I do think you’ve got to get moving. That’s not a criticism. I mean, that’s just self-evident, that we live in a highly competitive political landscape right now, and you’ve got to move fast, or else you’ll create vacuums others will step into.”
At the Institute for Economic Affairs event, Mr Jenrick, who often extends his role to suggest improvements in other areas, said his goal in justice policy was to “be as proactive as possible and highlight what’s gone wrong, bring forward solutions.”
He added,
“I think we should be doing that because the public don’t just want to hear you criticising. They also want to hear that you’ve got some answers to those challenges.”
Referring to such a catastrophic election defeat, the shadow justice secretary said it “was always going to be very challenging and slow,” but warned the party faced danger if it delayed action, especially with Reform UK posing a growing threat.
Mr Jenrick said,
“The task of regaining trust is not easy. I do think, though, that the modern age is one where the pace at which politics moves, the pace at which people form opinions about businesses, organisations, individuals, is fast.”
He stated,
“That’s fuelled in part by social media so that you can’t draw direct parallels with how oppositions have recovered in the past, even within our recent memory. In no prior instance have we, the Conservative party, had serious competition on the right, and so that does mean that there is a real sense of urgency, or should be, behind our efforts.”
The Tory member pointed to Labour’s 1980s struggle against Margaret Thatcher’s Tories and the rise of the centrist Social Democrats as the most relevant parallel.
Mr Jenrick added,
“That was an existential crisis for the Labour party. And so I think we have to adopt the same approach now, which is to view this for what it is and go out there every day fighting to save the Conservative party.”
Robert Jenrick’s stance on cutting sentences for dangerous offenders
Robert Jenrick stated,
“If Starmer proceeds with halving sentences for dangerous offenders like killers, rapists and paedophiles that would be a slap in the face for victims. These people must be properly punished and locked up so they can’t terrorise communities.”
What did Robert Jenrick say about the Chagos deal?
The shadow justice secretary praised those who launched a legal challenge against the government’s decision.
He said,
“All power to the group that has brought this legal action. This is a really bad deal, it is a sell-out for British interests.”
Mr Jenrick added,
“You are seeing British sovereign territory being given away to an ally of China and billions of pounds of British taxpayers’ money being spent for the privilege. If there is a way to force Keir Starmer to step back and think twice, then that is a good thing.”