Robert Jenrick urged Conservatives to "take our country back" during his speech at the party conference in Manchester. The shadow justice secretary told delegates that Britain was "too precious to lose" and declared: "We may be a little bit down, but our country is not out."
Moving beyond his justice brief, Jenrick praised British culture including "love of pubs", "love of animals", sporting heroes and the royal family. He concluded: "Let's pick ourselves up. Let's dust ourselves down. Let's draw on Britain's greatness to make it greater still, let's fight for a better future. Let's build this new order. Let's take our country back."
Personal attacks on rivals
Jenrick launched personal attacks on Sir Keir Starmer (Labour), describing him as combining "the management style of David Brent with the administrative grip of Blackadder's Baldrick". He also criticised Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer for representing terror case defendants, comparing him to "one of those infamous mafia lawyers of yesteryear".
Judicial appointments controversy
Brandishing a judge's wig, Jenrick pledged to put ministers back in charge of judicial appointments, claiming the current system had allowed "political activists" onto the bench. He claimed to have "uncovered dozens of judges with links to open borders charities" who "spent their whole careers fighting to keep illegal migrants in this country".
Justice Secretary David Lammy (Labour) accused Jenrick of attacking "British values" by threatening to "trash the institutions and traditions that hold our country together". Lammy said: "The independence of judges from politicians is not optional. It is the cornerstone of British democracy."
Expert warnings and political reactions
Former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption warned that Jenrick's proposals risked US-style politicisation of the judiciary. A Labour source said Jenrick "thinks personal attacks are a good replacement for a basic understanding of the law", while pointing to Lord Hermer's work for Grenfell families and on Russian war crimes accountability.
Leadership dynamics
Despite a YouGov poll suggesting half of Conservative members did not want Kemi Badenoch to lead into the next election, Jenrick urged party "survivors" to "get behind Kemi". Badenoch insisted the party was having "a very good conference" and brushed off Reform UK's announcement of 20 Conservative councillor defections.
Policy announcements
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp told conference the Conservatives would hire 10,000 additional police officers at a cost of £800 million if they won the next election. Shadow education secretary Laura Trott said a future Conservative government would require children to be expelled for bringing knives to school, assaulting teachers or sexual assault.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
