Robert Jenrick chose a swelteringly hot day in sunny Newark to stage his official leadership campaign launch. ‘I’m in politics for you,’ he told the packed-out room, filled with a mixed crowd of young families and veteran Tory supporters. ‘We can persuade young people to join the Conservatives again,’ the 42-year-old insisted. ‘We must be better. We can be better.’
It was in this optimistic vein that Jenrick’s speech continued. In a rosy summary of the Conservatives’ time in government, the former government minister first pointed to his party’s achievements: school reforms, keeping Corbyn out, swooping to the side of Ukraine and – despite being a Remainer himself – Brexit. ‘All of this begs a big question,’ Jenrick concluded. ‘How is it that we have just suffered our worst ever electoral defeat?’
Of course, the list of ‘why’ is rather long, from party regicide to a rising tax burden. The Conservative party’s failures are not from leaning too far in any political direction but instead, Jenrick believes, because a lack of delivery has damaged public trust.
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