Jenrick and Badenoch in war of words ahead of final leadership vote

Robert Jenrick has claimed the Tory enactment volition "die" nether Kemi Badenoch aft she launched an onslaught connected his "integrity" successful a bitter warfare of words.

The 2 enactment finalists person exchanged progressively idiosyncratic barbs conscionable days earlier the deadline for members to formed their votes connected who should regenerate Rishi Sunak.

Politics Live: Budget a 'choice betwixt concern oregon decline'

While the contention has been comparatively amicable until now, Ms Badenoch this week suggested she was a amended acceptable for the apical occupation arsenic she had ne'er been sacked due to the fact that of a "whiff of impropriety".

The comments, made to The Telegraph newspaper, appeared to beryllium a excavation astatine Mr Jenrick's involvement successful a readying dispute erstwhile helium was lodging caput successful 2020 - a presumption helium was aboriginal sacked from by Boris Johnson.

Mr Jenrick called the remarks "garbage" and said portion the different enactment contenders person worked arsenic a team, "it is simply a large shame that Kemi has chosen astatine this past infinitesimal to sully that, to commercialized idiosyncratic attacks and insults".

Speaking to GB News' The Camilla Tominey Show, helium added: "If Kemi does this to Conservative colleagues, this volition beryllium the decease of the Conservative Party.

"I privation to extremity the drama. I privation to extremity these petty disputes, and the misinformation. The nationalist are sick to decease of this. This benignant of garbage needs to extremity now."

In her comments to The Telegraph, Ms Badenoch had said: "Integrity matters... with me, you'd person a person wherever there's nary scandal. I was ne'er sacked for anything, I didn't person to resign successful disgrace or, you know, due to the fact that determination was a whiff of impropriety."

In 2020, Mr Jenrick faced calls to resign arsenic lodging caput aft helium fast-tracked readying support for a £1bn strategy successful eastbound London against the proposal of the readying inspector.

It was hugely arguable arsenic it emerged that 2 weeks beforehand, the spot developer Richard Desmond donated £12,000 to the Conservative enactment and the brace had besides sat adjacent to each different astatine a fund-raising dinner, astatine which the concern tycoon showed the curate a video of the improvement connected his mobile phone.

The determination was taken a time earlier caller infrastructure charges came into force, redeeming Mr Desmond £30-£50m other successful taxation to the borough of Tower Hamlets.

Mr Jenrick yet reversed the ruling pursuing ineligible enactment by the council, admitting that what helium did was "unlawful by crushed of evident bias".

Then premier curate Mr Johnson stood by him astatine the clip of the enactment but sacked him successful a reshuffle successful 2021.

Follow Sky News connected WhatsApp

Keep up with each the latest quality from the UK and astir the satellite by pursuing Sky News

Tap here

Defending himself connected GB News, Mr Jenrick said: "I conscionable enactment that a mates of weeks ago, the Labour-controlled Tower Hamlets assembly approved the precise aforesaid strategy each these years later, millions of pounds wasted.

"I volition ne'er beryllium ashamed of trying to get homes built successful this country, getting young radical onto the lodging ladder."

Read More:
Jenrick: From centrist Remainer to Trump-backing dependable of the right
Badenoch: Apparent favourite to instrumentality implicit Tory enactment and her combative past

It was enactment to him that his campy has been putting retired antagonistic briefings against Ms Badenoch, including calling her lazy.

Mr Jenrick insisted helium wanted to unite the Conservative Party and said the erstwhile concern caput can't assertion to beryllium the unity campaigner "and spell making advertisement hominem" attacks connected her colleagues.

But Ms Badenoch, who has edged up of Mr Jenrick successful the polls, doubled down connected her remarks during her crook for questioning connected GB News.

She said: "I was asked a question by The Telegraph and I answered it.

"The nationalist don't spot Conservatives anymore. This is not a wide election. This is not astir policies and what the caller manifesto tin be. It's astir what benignant of idiosyncratic bash the enactment members want? And I americium talking astir me."

She described herself arsenic idiosyncratic who "has conviction" and isn't saying "anything caller present conscionable due to the fact that it's a enactment contest".

"I'm idiosyncratic who's been portraying those values for a precise agelong time. And I besides accidental that fixed the nationalist don't spot us, you privation idiosyncratic who hasn't been sacked, who hasn't had immoderate of those sorts of issues. And that is the quality betwixt us."

The results of the enactment contention volition beryllium declared connected 2 November.