Hero or hypocrite? Leadership hopeful Jenrick's take on migrants splits Tories

Robert Jenrick had been migration minister for just a few days in 2022 when he gave a broadcast interview which could easily have been given by a minister in the current government.

- Kiran Stacey Eleni Courea Aletha Adu

Robert Jenrick had been migration minister for just a few days in 2022 when he gave a broadcast interview which could easily have been given by a minister in the current government. "Suella Braverman [the former home secretary] and her predecessor Priti Patel were procuring more hotels," he told Sky News. "What I have done in my short tenure is ramp that up and procure even more. Because November, historically, has been one of the highest months of the year for migrants illegally crossing the Channel."

He added: "I would never demonise people coming to this country in pursuit of a better life. And I understand and appreciate our obligation to refugees."

It was a very different Jenrick who showed up in Epping last weekend at the site of protests outside the Bell hotel, which houses asylum seekers. "Great to be with peaceful, patriotic protesters in Epping today," he posted on X. "People are right to be fed up of illegal migration. And the crime and billions being wasted because of it."