Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, has been accused of hypocrisy after visiting a protest outside an asylum seeker hotel in Epping, despite having expanded the use of such hotels during his time as migration minister. The visit, where he was pictured near a known far-right activist, has drawn criticism from within his own party and from Reform UK.
As migration minister in 2022, Jenrick told Sky News that he had ramped up the procurement of hotels for asylum seekers, saying: 'What I have done in my short tenure is ramp that up and procure even more.' He also stated he would 'never demonise people coming to this country in pursuit of a better life.'
However, last weekend he posted on X: 'Great to be with peaceful, patriotic protesters in Epping today. People are right to be fed up of illegal migration.' Reform UK responded by publishing posts accusing him of having 'boasted' about opening more hotels while in government.
Some Conservative MPs have expressed unease about Jenrick's tactics, suggesting he is more focused on a leadership bid than helping the party. One MP said: 'It is hard to take him seriously. The reservation is that he's not Nigel Farage, and he will never be Nigel Farage.' Another added: 'The challenge for leadership hopefuls like Jenrick is that he presided over an immigration policy that increased the use of hotels.'
Political analyst Rob Ford of Manchester University noted that while Jenrick's actions may help him in a leadership contest, they risk further damaging the party's credibility on immigration. 'Jenrick showing up at that hotel may work as a campaign image for the coming Tory leadership contest but it also makes it more likely that whoever wins that contest takes over a ship headed rapidly to the seabed,' he said.
