Robert Jenrick has suggested he would beckon a series of senior Conservatives back to the political frontline if he is elected Tory leader, even “via a by-election” if they proved willing.
It comes after the former immigration minister vowed to make ex-cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg Conservative Party chairman if he wins the leadership election. Jenrick said he would appoint the Johnson loyalist, who is no longer an MP, in one of his “first acts as leader” so he can “truly reform and democratise our party.”
“Together we will empower members and restore the respect that has been so sorely lacking in recent years”, he said in a post to X/Twitter on Sunday.
Now, in a column for Tory grassroots website ConservativeHome, Jenrick has gone one further and insisted that the party has to get Boris Johnson back “fighting for us as well.”
In the piece, Jenrick pledged to bring all parts of the Conservative Party together in a bid to stop the “infighting and drama.”
“It will mean bringing all the parts of our party together. From the ERG [European Research Group] to the TRG [Tory Reform Group], from Tom Tugendhat to Mark Francois, we share far more in common than we differ”, he wrote.
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It follows a statement from the Tory Reform Group of moderate Conservatives, in which the group refused to endorse either Jenrick or his rival for the party leadership, Kemi Badenoch.
“Both have used rhetoric and focused on issues which are far and away from the party at its best”, the TRG said in a statement, adding that the group had also been “consistently disappointed by the lack of engagement from the two candidates chosen by MPs”.
In his ConHome article, Jenrick was most explicit about the potential for a comeback for Penny Mordaunt, the two-time Tory leadership contender and former cabinet minister.
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Mordaunt, who lost her seat of Portsmouth North at the general election in July, should be invited back to the “frontline of Conservative politics”, Jenrick said.
Contemplating the possible mechanisms for a Mordaunt return, Jenrick said this could come about “either via a by-election if she was willing, or in leading a campaign against Labour.”
He added: “Penny is a Conservative star who, like many good colleagues, was unseated at the last election through no fault of her own.
“She must have a place at the heart of our party in the years ahead – taking the fight to Labour.”
Jenrick went on: “Not to mention, we’ve got to get Boris fighting for us as well, along with those who have served us as brilliant metro mayors.
“If I become our leader, I will ask all these great Conservatives to play a big role in defeating Labour in the years to come.”
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on X/Twitter here.
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