Kemi Badenoch urged to ‘rein in’ former Tory leader rival Robert Jenrick after he ‘calls for a coalition with Farage’s Reform’

Kemi Badenoch was urged to ‘rein in’ Robert Jenrick last night after her former leadership rival seemingly proposed a ‘coalition’ to unite Tory and Reform UK voters at the next election.

The Tory justice secretary spokesman was secretly recorded telling Conservative students that ‘one way or another’ centre-Right voters had to be united to ensure Keir Starmer does not ‘sail through the middle’ again.

As Tory sources tried to play down the row yesterday, one shadow cabinet minister said Mr Jenrick ‘suggesting a coalition with Reform – presumably with him and Farage at the head of it – is a step too far. [Mrs Badenoch] needs to rein him in because it is getting destabilising’.

Colleagues accuse Mr Jenrick of continuing his leadership campaign despite losing to Mrs Badenoch last year.

She has repeatedly ruled out the idea of a coalition with Reform at a national level, saying no deal can be done with a party that wants to ‘destroy’ the Tories.

But Mr Jenrick can be heard saying that he wants the ‘Right’ to be ‘united’ in an audio recording obtained by Sky News.

Speaking to the University College London’s Conservative Society in March, he said that if Reform becomes a ‘permanent or semi-permanent fixture on the British political scene’, then ‘life becomes a lot harder’ for the Tories.

He told the society members: ‘You head towards a general election, where the nightmare scenario is that Keir Starmer sails in through the middle as a result of the two parties being disunited.

Colleagues accuse Robert Jenrick of continuing his leadership campaign despite losing to Kemi Badenoch last year (file image)

Mrs Badenoch has repeatedly ruled out the idea of a coalition with Reform at a national level (file image)

The Prime Minister taunted Mrs Badenoch over the revelations in yesterday’s PMQs, saying ‘a coalition between Reform and the Tories [is] being formed behind her back’

‘I don’t know about you, but I’m not prepared for that to happen.

‘I want the Right 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 insisted he was not proposing an electoral pact, saying: ‘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.’

However, the Prime Minister taunted Mrs Badenoch over the revelations in yesterday’s PMQs, saying ‘a coalition between Reform and the Tories [is] being formed behind her back’, in which Mr Jenrick would ‘cook up’ a joint manifesto with Nigel Farage.

A spokesman for Mrs Badenoch said she hadn’t discussed Mr Jenrick’s comments with him, but agreed on the need to win back voters who have defected to Reform.