JENRICK REINVENTED

Ten years ago, he was a centrist candidate few marked out for big things. So how did Robert Jenrick turn into the Tory Party's 'Trumpian hellraiser'? David Maddox traces his rise

- David Maddox

If one politician represents the Trumpification of British politics, then it is not Nigel Farage but an MP who has experienced the most dramatic conversion.

So much so that people even now are asking: “Will the real Robert Jenrick step forward?”

Back in 2014, a rather bland 32-year-old centrist solicitor won the Newark by-election. It is fair to say that Mr Jenrick had been picked for a crucial pre-2015 general election by-election by David Cameron’s top team because he was exactly the sort of safe, uncontroversial individual who a party could put up as a blank canvas and not have to worry about.

He was not expected to be a future star, but would perhaps be decent ministerial fodder who could be relied on to toe the line.

Roll on 11 years and Mr Jenrick has become the single most sought-after speaker at the Tory party conference in Manchester; a man who electrifies packed out rooms, drips controversy wherever he turns up and is not afraid to say exactly what he thinks, even if those words will see him being accused of racism.

So, how did we get here?

A new normal

Back in 2020, when I was political editor of a national Sunday newspaper and lockdown had just about got underway, I was asked if I would interview the then communities and housing secretary about a special project to support the efforts against Covid.

That cabinet minister was Robert Jenrick and as was normal for lockdown, it became the first interview I conducted over Zoom.