In a robust rebuttal to Robert Jenrick’s claims that Britain is “broken,” Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has insisted that the country remains “one of the most successful, resilient and influential countries on Earth.” Badenoch’s comments come after Jenrick’s high-profile defection to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, where he had described Britain as in economic decline.
Speaking to reporters, Badenoch sought to offer a more positive message about the UK’s future. “Our country is still one of the most successful, resilient and influential countries on Earth. A country that has reinvented itself repeatedly. A country whose people quietly get on with things while politicians argue,” she wrote in an article for the Daily Telegraph.
Badenoch acknowledged that Britain faces real challenges, but argued that “Britain is not broken. We are a great country with deep reserves of strength, talent, and resilience.” She criticised the approach of the Labour Party, stating that their “answer to every problem is another consultation, another review, another layer of state control. That does not make people richer. It makes them poorer.”
The Conservative leader’s comments come after Jenrick’s sudden defection to Reform UK, which occurred just hours after Badenoch had dismissed him as shadow justice secretary and suspended him from the party. Jenrick had claimed that his defection was “uniting the right” and denied that personal ambition had played a role.
However, Badenoch has ruled out any pact with Reform UK ahead of the next election, stating bluntly: “How do you do a deal with liars? How do you do a deal with people who have been saying things that were clearly not true, not just for months, but clearly for years?”
Labour chairwoman Anna Turley also hit out at Jenrick’s comments, describing him as “one of the arsonists who inflicted chaos and decline” on Britain during his time as a Tory minister.
As the political landscape continues to shift, Badenoch’s robust defence of Britain’s resilience and her refusal to engage with Reform UK underscores the Conservative Party’s determination to present a positive vision for the country’s future, even in the face of high-profile defections and criticism from political opponents.