Kemi Badenoch “agrees” with Robert Jenrick that “we need to bring centre-right voters together”, her official spokesman had said.
The Tory leader had been facing calls from opposition to sack her shadow justice secretary after he vowed to bring together a “coalition” of Reform and Conservative voters to take on Labour.
In an audio recording obtained by Sky News, Mr Jenrick can be heard saying that he wants the “fight” against Sir Keir Starmer’s party to be “united”.
Reform have consistently been outperforming Kemi Badenoch’s party in polling in recent months, but a source close to Mr Jenrick said that his comments are “about voters and not parties”.
Asked whether she agreed with her shadow minister’s comments, Mrs Badenoch’s spokesman said on Wednesday: “She agrees that we need to bring centre-right voters together to defeat Labour.”
He added: “What we saw last year was four million people voting for Reform, and they got five MPs and Labour got 400.
“So if we are to defeat Labour, we need to bring those voters back to the Conservative Party.”
Mrs Badenoch was not aware of Mr Jenrick’s comments ahead of them being obtained by Sky, but the spokesman said it is “demonstrably true” that the right is not “united”, as the Newark MP suggested.
In the recording, Mr Jenrick had said that if Nigel Farage’s party become a “permanent or semi-permanent fixture on the British political scene”, then “life becomes a lot harder” for the Tories.
Speaking to the UCL Conservative Association in March, Mr Jenrick said: “You head towards a general election, where the nightmare scenario is that (Sir) Keir Starmer sails in through the middle as a result of the two parties being disunited.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m not prepared for that to happen.”
Mr Jenrick added: “I want the fight to be united. And so, one way or another, I’m determined to do that and bring this coalition together and make sure we unite as a nation as well.”
A source close to Mr Jenrick said on Wednesday: “Rob’s comments are about voters and not parties.
“He’s clear we have to put Reform out of business and make the Conservatives the natural home for all those on the right, rebuilding the coalition of voters we had in 2019 and can have again.
“But he’s under no illusions how difficult that is – we have to prove over time we’ve changed and can be trusted again.”
Vote Tory, get Reform.
— Ellie Reeves (@elliereeves) April 23, 2025
Vote Reform, get the Tories.
That's what's on the table according to Robert Jenrick.
Does Kemi Badenoch agree - or has his leadership campaign finally gone too far for her?
Will she take action?https://t.co/nATe9FMdZF
Labour Party chair Ellie Reeves said on Wednesday that Conservative leader Ms Badenoch “needs to urgently come clean as to whether she backs her shadow justice secretary doing grubby deals with Reform behind the electorate’s back, or if she will rule it out”.
Ms Reeves added: “If she disagrees with Robert Jenrick, how can her leadership have any credibility whilst he remains in her shadow cabinet?”
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said that the comments show “senior Conservatives are plotting a grubby election deal with Nigel Farage”.
She added: “Kemi Badenoch should sack Robert Jenrick now if she’s serious about ruling out a pact with Reform. Anything less would show she’s either too weak to sack him or that she agrees.”
