2026-01-15
11 分钟This is The Guardian.
There was one of those moments where in a newsroom there are lots of people kind of swearing and looking at their phones with amazement.
This morning,
I removed the conservative whip from Robert Jenrick after dismissing him from the shadow cabinet.
The way she has handled this has been quite effective.
It's put her on the front foot.
It hasn't given Jenrick the chance to tell his story first.
I was very sorry to be presented with clear,
irrefutable evidence, not just that he was preparing to defect.
But he was planning to do so in the most damaging way possible.
It's a very badly kept secret that he has been flirting with the idea of defecting to a fault.
As far as Mr.
Jenrick's concerned, of course I've talked to Robert Jenrick.
Was I on the verge of signing a document with him?
No, but have we had conversations?
Yes.
He will look to, I think,
the average person who's not deeply engaged in politics like a bit of a snake.
I think it will look to a lot of people who are deeply engaged in politics like a bit of a snake as well,
to be honest.