LIVE: Jenrick Faces Questions on GB News Leadership Debate
Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick are set to be grilled by Christopher Hope and audience members on GB News’ Decision Time: The Race to Lead. After Hope tossed a coin, Jenrick is first up. It’s the first (and potentially only) televised leadership hustings before voting for Tory members closes on 31st October. Expect some fiery words from Jenrick on immigration and the ECHR. Guido will give you live updates below:
- Hope asks why we can’t deport people like Germany has whilst remaining in the ECHR. Jenrick says European countries still find it difficult to deport people – “we are a different country”.
- How will Jenrick make the Tory party the party of stability on the world stage? Begins with funding our armed forces and making good use of NATO. As well as a strong economy and energy security.
- Says we should build more prisons. Get the 10,000 foreign offenders out of our prisons. Says the ECHR is blocking that one…
- Question on two-tier policing and pro-Palestinian marches. A Britain without its Jewish community “is not Britain.” Police shouldn’t fear cracking down on violent protesters. Applause…
- Claims professionalism is the way forward. “End the drama”.
- Says the Tories must attract more young people. Goes back to home ownership being the main way to appeal to them.
- Says it’s wrong to have more alignment with the EU, which is the way Starmer is going.
- Jenrick slams Labour giving away the Chagos Islands. Says he spoke to Tory ministers at the time negotiations began whilst in government, and this would never happen under his watch as Prime Minister.
- Recommits to increasing defence spending to 3% of GDP. That is the best way to “keep the British people safe”.
- Another question: What will do to improve levels of home ownership? Says we should be building homes in our big cities and “brown sites”. Applause to that one…
- Question from an audience member: What is Jenrick’s vision to grow the economy? Jenrick says his background is in business. Low growth has to change. His plan is get people back into work, cheap and reliable energy by building nuclear power stations and that gas is “here to stay”. He says low tax is the way forward, committing to a 2p reduction on income tax.
- Hope points out that under Jenrick’s watch, net migration went up. Jenrick says he’s as angry as anyone about that, and that’s why he resigned from the cabinet. Says he will cap migration to the tens of thousands or lower.
- Says he’s for capping migration. The election is a choice between “cap or no cap”, “leave or remain”.
- Says the real choice facing the country is the ECHR.
- Claims immigration is the reason the Tories lost the election.
- He says he wants to end the drama, deliver on immigration, and fix the party.
- Jenrick takes the stage to give a 5 minute speech.
