Robert Jenrick claims he told Kemi Badenoch to kick former prime minister Liz Truss out of the Conservative Party because of her "cackhanded" mini budget.
The former shadow justice secretary, who defected to Reform last week, told Sky News Mornings with Ridge and Frost that Ms Badenoch's refusal to do so was one of the reasons he decided to leave.
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He said: "If I'd been leader of the Conservative Party, and that's obviously ancient history now, I would have chucked Liz Truss out of the party because the mini budget was careless and cackhanded.
"It did cause in the moment, real harm to people.. people's house sales fell through, they were worried about their mortgages, investments, their pensions. That's wrong.
"That is not somebody who should be a member of your political party."
He added: "And the point I was making is, has the Conservative Party changed? I don't believe it has.
"If the party has really changed, why wouldn't you kick Liz Truss out? You know, I've told Kemi to do that. She chose not to do it. And it speaks to a broader truth."
Ms Truss resigned after 44 days as prime minister after her mini budget of unfunded tax cuts spooked the markets.
She lost her seat at the 2024 general election, which kicked the Tories out of power after 14 years.
Mr Jenrick, who had served many ministerial roles, lost to Ms Badenoch in the subsequent Conservative Party leadership race. He denied jumping ship because he sensed he couldn't oust her.
He said the Conservatives have "still got the cast of characters who made those mistakes at the helm". "The arsonists are still there," he added. "Why would anyone trust them once again? And I concluded, it's never going to change".
He accepted that "there were things I got wrong", and said he could have achieved more in his housing brief.
Asked whether he is really prepared to leave his ambitions to lead a political party behind he said: "It is my view that Nigel's is a very strong leader. He is the leader of this party. That is there is no question of that whatsoever."
Ms Truss, responding to claims Mr Jenrick made about her in The Times, posted on X: "Robert Jenrick may have joined Reform but who is he getting his orders from? Trojan horse."
(c) Sky News 2026: Robert Jenrick 'told Kemi Badenoch to kick Liz Truss out' of the Conservatives
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