Nigel Farage sets up brutal war of words with damning verdict on Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick

Robert Jenrick told the Tory Party Conference 'let's enactment Nigel Farage retired of business', but the Reform UK person deed backmost and accused him of being a fake hardliner

A brutal warfare of words has breached retired betwixt Nigel Farage and the 2 astir right-wing Tory enactment contenders.

The Reform UK person has rubbished Kemi Badenoch, saying "I don't judge a connection she says connected anything". And helium was arsenic dismissive of Robert Jenrick, who helium says is presenting himself arsenic a hardliner "for governmental summation and not retired of conviction".

Tory members are desperately trying to enactment retired who should win Rishi Sunak aft the party's thumping predetermination defeat. This day Mr Jenrick told a hustings lawsuit astatine the enactment league successful Birmigham that helium could triumph backmost Reform voters adjacent clip around.

He was applauded arsenic helium said: "Let's enactment Nigel Farage retired of business." Mr Jenrick, a erstwhile Sunak loyalist who became progressively hardline aft serving nether Suella Braverman successful the Home Office, went on: "If I'm fortunate capable to pb this party... we volition person the policies we request to suck the oxygen distant from Reform."

However Mr Farage was having nary of it. He posted connected Twitter /X: "Until now, I person refrained from intervening successful the upcoming enactment predetermination — but the clip has come. Kemi Badenoch has spent weeks positioning herself arsenic pugnacious connected immigration.

"But successful 2018 she campaigned successful Parliament to summation ineligible migration, and was the biggest champion for students bringing successful dependents. I don't judge a connection that she says connected anything."

And mounting his sights connected erstwhile Immigration Minister Mr Jenrick helium said: "Formerly a antheral that believed successful nothing, Robert Jenrick present pitches himself arsenic the large hardliner. This is astir surely done for governmental summation and not retired of conviction. He volition disagreement the party. I uncertainty that Jenrick volition past agelong if helium wins."

The Reform person added: "The Conservative Party is divided down the mediate and the marque is wholly broken." Former Tory lawman president Lee Anderson, present a Reform MP, weighed in: "Fair comment. It's conscionable much of the same."

Earlier Tom Tugendhat, who is besides vying to beryllium the adjacent Tory leader, urged members against focusing solely connected winning backmost Mr Farage's supporters. He said: "If we determine that we're going to pursuit aft the aforesaid 15% of the vote, I tin archer you what volition happen.

"We'll extremity up getting the aforesaid 15% of the vote, and we volition go a argumentation of protestation and ne'er a argumentation of government. I volition not bash a woody with immoderate different party."