Tory turncoat Robert Jenrick told interviewer Kate McCann she needed her head checking as he was asked whether he had deliberately mispronounced Kemi Badenoch’s name during a defection speech
Robert Jenrick insults journalist as he’s asked about attitude to women
Robert Jenrick has told a female journalist she needs her head checking as he faced questions about his attitude to women.
The Tory turncoat lost his cool in an interview with Times Radio’s Kate McCann. Mr Jenrick was pressed on whether he had deliberately mispronounced Kemi Badenoch’s name during a defection speech last week.
He was told he had appeared dismissive of female politicans and journalists at a press conference on Thursday. Mr Jenrick rudely told Ms McCann that her line of questioning was not important as he tried to change the subject.
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He got prickly after the interviewer said: “”The three names there you’ve criticised directly. Priti Patel, Liz Truss, Kemi Badenoch, they’re all women…” Mr Jenrick butted in, stating: “What’s that got to do with anything? Sorry but that’s a completely nonsensical argument. I also mentioned (Tory shadow chancellor) Mel Stride in my speech the other day.”
Ms McCann cooly asked him why he had pronounced his former party leader’s name incorrectly. She said: “Let me finish the point. You repeatedly referred in your press conference to Kemi BAD-enoch Now you know that’s not how she says her name, and you know it irritates her. Why did you do that?”
A flustered Mr Jenrick shot back: “”I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about. If you, Kate, think that this is important, then you need your head checking. What matters here is the state of the country, and the country’s in a real mess.”
But Ms McCann pressed on, telling him: “And I think people really are concerned with how their leaders portray themselves and their party in public. And many people watching your press conference suggested it looked quite blokey. It was quite dismissive of female journalists and female politicians.
“You repeatedly called your former leader Kemi BAD-e noch not BAY-de-noch, when you know that’s not how you say her name.”
Frustrated Mr Jenrick said: “Honestly Kate, I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t have any memory of that.” The interviewer said: “I think most women will know.”
The Reform defector then said: “It’s complete nonsense. And if you’re trying to suggest that somehow I don’t respect women as a husband, as a father of three daughters, I actually find that extremely offensive. And so please, let’s talk about something that matters to the public here, which is how are we going to fix the country?
“And that’s the argument that I made on Thursday, which is that I believe the country is in a mess, that the people I represent in Newark are finding life very hard.”
Mr Jenrick was sacked by Ms Badenoch on Thursday after she discovered he was plotting to defect and damage the Tories. In a bitter speech after announcing he was joining Nigel Farage’s growing army of ex-Tories, Mr Jenrick whined about how his old party had failed.
Mr Jenrick’s media plan for his defection to Reform UK referred to him as the “new sheriff in town”, reports have claimed. It also boasted the ex-Shadow Justice Secretary would be the “biggest defection story” Nigel Farage’s right-wing party has ever had.
According to the Sunday Times internal planning documents from Mr Jenrick’s team and “discovered” by Ms Badenoch suggested he planned to defect within days.