Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick's attempt to chase down a shoplifter backfired when social media users reminded him of a controversial £1 billion contract he approved while in government.
The former immigration minister was filmed confronting a woman in Brixton, south London, after she left a store with several bottles of Coca Cola without paying.
Confrontation in Brixton Market
'You've taken like ten of those bottles', he is shown shouting after the woman as she walks through an outdoor market. When she appeared to ignore him, he followed her and asked: 'Do you want to go and take them back?'
She replied: 'Allow me bruv! What the f*** has it got to do with you?'
'You can swear at me as much as you like, you've just nicked a load of stuff', the former Tory minister persisted. He continued: 'Honestly, people like you should be in jail, and you would be under a Reform government.'
Online Reaction Divided
Since defecting in January this year, Mr Jenrick has shared a litany of videos of himself pursuing perceived criminals, such as tube fare dodgers. However, the online reaction to the clip was divided, with many pointing out the Reform grandee's choice of target in a visibly malnourished woman.
'Well done to Robert Jenrick for finding 1 poor malnourished white woman and policing her over a bottle of cola while hundreds of thousands of foreign rapefugees float around stealing welfare', one user wrote on X.
Government Record Under Scrutiny
Others drew attention to Mr Jenrick's record in government, including as housing minister when he was found to have unlawfully approved a £1 billion contract for Conservative donor and property developer Richard Desmond after sitting next to him at a fundraising dinner.
The former Tory overruled the advice of planners to approve a 1,500 home development on the Isle of Dogs in Tower Hamlets, helping Mr Desmond meet a deadline that reportedly saved the ex-publisher in the region of £40 million in community infrastructure levies. Mr Jenrick admitted at the time his decision may have been unlawful but denied having any bias towards Mr Desmond.
One user responded: 'Robert Jenrick going after people who nicked a 2 quid bottle of coke while his government handed out contracts equaling billions of pounds to their mates during covid.'
