{"id":794606,"date":"2026-10-07T07:56:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T07:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/794606\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T07:56:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T07:56:10","slug":"tories-delight-as-satirical-tapestry-pokes-fun-at-turncoat-robert-jenrick-conservative-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/794606\/","title":{"rendered":"Tories delight as satirical tapestry pokes fun at \u2018turncoat\u2019 Robert Jenrick | Conservative conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Kemi Badenoch<\/a> basked in the applause of the Tory faithful at the close of her pivotal speech at Conservative party conference last year, one member of her shadow cabinet looked less than enthused.<\/p>\n

Robert Jenrick, bested by Badenoch in the leadership contest a year earlier, looked on, and \u2013 as one shadow cabinet member now recalls \u2013 had to be prodded by Lord Ashcroft to applaud. \u201cIf you\u2019re plotting against someone, then you at least pretend to like them,\u201d they say. \u201cThe thing about Robert is he\u2019s not even a good machiavellian.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jenrick left the party a matter of months later, swiftly \u2013 and publicly \u2013 ejected<\/a> by an ice-cold Badenoch after she got wind that he was planning to defect to Reform. This week, as the Conservative ranks enjoy their annual knees-up in Birmingham, the now Reform UK economy spokesperson has been swiping from the sidelines, accusing his old party of \u201conce again copying our policies\u201d.<\/p>\n

But while Jenrick\u2019s physical presence may be absent from the migraine-inducing interior of the International Convention Centre in the West Midlands, members could be forgiven for sighing that everywhere they looked, something reminded them of him.<\/p>\n

At the heart of the conference, members queue to chortle at depictions of Jenrick in the Conservatives\u2019 own \u201cBirmingham tapestry\u201d, a 27-metre (88ft) woven graphical retelling of the past two years in British politics, as seen through Conservative eyes.<\/p>\n

Featuring Badenoch as a glorious 11th-century conquering warrior, the \u201ctapestry\u201d also depicts a tiny Jenrick wailing as he loses the leadership contest, as he watches a crowd cheering on his victor. A little later, under the heading \u201cExpelleth the Turncoat\u201d, an outsized Badenoch is seen banishing her tiny, sobbing former colleague \u2013 as she stands next to a photocopier where, legend has it, Jenrick\u2019s resignation letter was found.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s great fun; every story needs a villain and he\u2019s ours,\u201d says one party member who\u2019d travelled from Scotland for the event. \u201cHe\u2019s not a big figure here any more, he\u2019s just a figure of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another member says they voted for Jenrick in the leadership election and had felt let down by his plots to remove the leader after failing to get the top job. \u201cThe way he did what he did was spiteful, petty and childish. I was a massive fan, but now I couldn\u2019t care less what he does,\u201d he says. Referring to Jenrick\u2019s hyperactive social media output, which regularly show the Reform economy spokesperson confronting fare-dodgers and shoplifters, he rolls his eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s just attention-seeking, isn\u2019t it?\u201d he says. \u201cI do wonder now, though, as Reform falter, if he regrets what he did. I hope so.\u201d<\/p>\n

The schadenfreude at Jenrick\u2019s fading star is palpable at this conference. Unprompted, shadow cabinet ministers bring him up with unbridled delight. \u201cI miss him like I would miss an abscess in my molar,\u201d remarks one senior Tory, before wondering aloud about whether Jenrick was likely to be punched in the face during one of his vigilante operations.<\/p>\n

Others are surprised at their own strength of feeling towards a former colleague. \u201cNobody knew how much we hated Robert until he left the party,\u201d says one senior member. Repeating the mantra that they are more united behind Badenoch than any other leader in years, some credit Jenrick for bringing them closer together, because he had \u201cbriefed against everybody\u201d. Another adds: \u201cRob leaving was like pulling out a splinter.\u201d<\/p>\n

The commentary is not limited to gossip around the bars of Birmingham\u2019s Hyatt hotel. Mentions of Jenrick are met with groans in the audience at a packed fringe event of shadow cabinet ministers hosted by More in Common. Asked if he would consider taking Jenrick or any of the other three Tory MPs who defected back, the response of Alex Burghart, the party\u2019s deputy leader, is unequivocal. \u201cNo, no, no and no,\u201d he says. Was he relieved they were gone? \u201cYes, yes, yes and yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Badenoch has made clear that neither Jenrick nor his fellow defectors (variously described by her team as \u201cvenal\u201d, \u201cmad\u201d and \u201chopeless\u201d) would ever be welcome back, going as far as thanking Nigel Farage for doing the \u201cspring cleaning\u201d of her party for her.<\/p>\n

Others suggest Reform were welcome to one of their former star players. \u201cGood luck to his new friends in Reform,\u201d one says. \u201cIt\u2019s all about Rob and his own ambitions and he\u2019d elbow them into the path of an oncoming express train if it meant he got ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Appreciating the Birmingham tapestry in between panel sessions, the shadow undersecretary for environment, food and rural affairs, Aphra Brandreth, insists the party is completely over Jenrick, although his shadow here suggests there may still be some healing left to do. \u201cHonestly I don\u2019t spend any time thinking about Robert Jenrick,\u201d she says, with a benevolent smile. \u201cHe\u2019s gone, and we\u2019ve all moved on.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Kemi Badenoch basked in the applause of the Tory faithful at the close of her pivotal speech…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":794607,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,50,51,47,52,48],"class_list":["post-794606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=794606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/794607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=794606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=794606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=794606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}