Reform UK's shadow chancellor Robert Jenrick has delivered a scathing assault on Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, accusing her of representing a metropolitan elite disconnected from ordinary voters. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Jenrick repeatedly invoked the epithet "Kensington Kemi" and suggested that any coalition arrangement between the two parties would leave Reform shackled to a failing political force.
The attack marks a significant escalation in hostilities between Reform and the Conservatives, coming just days after Badenoch explicitly ruled out any "unite the right" arrangement with Farage's party. Jenrick, who defected to Reform earlier this year following his dismissal from the Conservative shadow cabinet, characterised the Tories as "nothing more than a metropolitan pressure group for the wealthiest" and compared a potential tie-up to being "handcuffed to a zombie".
Jenrick's broadside targeted Conservative policies unveiled at their recent conference, particularly inheritance tax changes and expanded childcare support. He derided the party for handing out what he called "bungs for Belgravia" through these announcements, which he portrayed as benefiting the wealthy rather than working families.
What policies sparked Jenrick's criticism?
The Conservative Party announced at its conference that property would be exempted from inheritance tax, while also extending free childcare to higher earners. According to reporting on the inheritance tax proposal, the changes would abolish the tax on family homes and raise the individual allowance from £325,000 to £500,000, allowing couples to pass on £1 million tax-free in addition to their home. The Conservatives also estimated their proposed childcare expansion would cost £700 million a year, funded by reducing staffing at arm's-length public bodies.
How did Jenrick characterise the Conservative Party?
Jenrick painted a picture of a party obsessed with the concerns of the ultra-wealthy and disconnected from working people.
"Kensington Kemi knows who her people are. Millionaires, not Mansfield," Jenrick said. "The wealthy, not workers. She's for people who complain that Mayfair clubs aren't what they used to be. For people who struggle to find all the ingredients for that Ottolenghi recipe. And people whose lives have got almost nothing in common with my constituents in Newark."
He accused the Conservatives of having "retreated into the hinterland of Kensington and Chelsea", a charge that sits uneasily with the fact that several senior Reform figures have themselves resided in that affluent London area. Nigel Farage previously rented a house in Kensington and Chelsea during the Brexit campaign, with the rent paid by leave donor Arron Banks. Nick Candy, Reform's honorary treasurer and a property billionaire, also lives in the area. Farage is a member of the exclusive Mayfair club 5 Hertford Street, and Reform held a fundraiser at the upmarket Oswald's in Mayfair last year.
When questioned about whether Reform itself had become a party of billionaires, Jenrick insisted the party was focused on delivering tax cuts for 40 million middle earners. He also pointed to a policy jointly announced by Farage and Candy last year offering billionaires a flat £250,000 tax rate for non-dom status, during which Farage lamented the "very rapid exodus" from central London and the difficulty of selling property in Kensington and Chelsea.
What did Jenrick say about Badenoch's ethnicity?
Jenrick was pressed on comments made by other Reform figures suggesting that Badenoch, who is British-born with Nigerian heritage, could not be considered English. He characterised the debate as "pretty overblown" and attempted to distinguish between ethnicity, cultural identity and citizenship.
"Is there such a thing as the English ethnicity? Yes. Not always easy to define. That is different from national identity. That is whether or not you ascribe to, you assimilate to, our heritage, our culture, our norms, our manners. And that is also different to whether or not you have a British passport in your bedroom drawer."
Jenrick went further, stating that "millions and millions" of people with British passports are not culturally or ethnically English, intensifying the identity dispute with Badenoch. He said his primary concern was with those holding a British passport who "do not love our country".
How did Badenoch respond to coalition speculation?
Badenoch has firmly rejected any possibility of a deal with Reform. In her conference speech, she ruled out any move to "unite the right", questioning who would want to join with a party that made her British-born mixed-race children feel as though they were not English. This followed her earlier statement that she would prefer another election if no party wins an overall majority.
Nigel Farage took a more measured approach on Thursday, downplaying the prospect of a post-electoral pact and describing it as "extremely unlikely". However, Jenrick's Friday comments represented a notably harder line against the Conservatives.
What other controversies has Jenrick faced?
Jenrick defended his previous comments about the "Islamification" of the UK, which have been reported to the police and the Prevent counter-radicalisation programme. Rather than address the police reports directly, he doubled down on his claims, asserting there had been an increase in the use of sharia law, instances of young girls being forced to cover their faces, and churches being converted into mosques—developments he said would not occur under a Reform government.
Jenrick's defection to Reform followed Badenoch's dismissal of him from her shadow cabinet and suspension from the Conservative Party after she said she had "clear, irrefutable evidence" he was planning to switch parties. The same source indicated that Reform's leader said the 7 May elections were a "deadline" after which the party would accept no further Tory defections.
Key Facts
- Jenrick compared a Reform-Conservative coalition to being "handcuffed to a zombie" and accused the Tories of being a "metropolitan pressure group for the wealthiest"
- Badenoch's approval ratings have improved with the public despite the attacks from her former party colleague
- Both Farage and Candy, senior Reform figures, have lived in or maintain connections to Kensington and Chelsea, the area Jenrick criticised the Conservatives for representing
- Badenoch has explicitly ruled out any coalition deal with Reform, saying she would prefer a fresh election if no party wins an overall majority
- The dispute over Badenoch's English identity reflects deeper tensions between the two parties as they compete for voters
