Robert Jenrick has declared he will force Nigel Farage into “retirement” if he becomes the next Tory party leader.
The Reform UK leader taunted Mr Jenrick yesterday as he claimed that “no one knows who he is”.
But Mr Jenrick hit back this morning as he claimed the former UKIP and Brexit Party leader was “rattled”, insisting Mr Farage wants Kemi Badenoch to win.
Answering questions after delivering a speech in central London, Mr Jenrick said: “I think he is rattled. Why is Nigel Fragage speaking about me and not my opponent in this contest? Because he does not want me to be leader of the Conservative Party.”
He added: “He knows that if I am leader of this party he will be in retirement and that all small ‘c’ conservatives will return to our fold as conservatives.
“That is what I offer. That is why he doesn’t want me to be leader of this party. That is why he wants my opponent to win this leadership contest.”
Mr Jenrick insisted the leadership contest is “absolutely not” over after a survey by ConservativeHome suggested he was trailing Kemi Badenoch by 31% to 55%.
Asked whether the contest was all over, Mr Jenrick said: “Absolutely not – this is neck and neck, that’s a survey not a poll.”
He claimed that previous polls had shown the contest to be “neck and neck”, adding: “There’s everything to fight for, and I’m certainly going off around the country as I have throughout the summer.
“And I think my message is resonating with members and with the public that we need to learn our lessons, we need to have strong and clear policies now, not the vague promise of one tomorrow, unite the party and take the fight to Labour as quickly as possible.”
The former immigration minister, speaking at the Henry Jackson Society, insisted NATO allies must spend 3% of GDP on defence to deter Russia, China and Iran.
He said: “The UK and NATO appear dangerously exposed.
“Our Army has shrunk to its smallest size since the Napoleonic era.
“The Royal Navy has also shrunk. At the outbreak of the Falklands War in 1982, the Royal Navy had 43 frigates and 12 destroyers. It now has nine and six respectively.
“What’s more, many of the ships we do have are stuck in docks because we don’t have enough sailors to crew them, such as the vital amphibious warfare vessels HMS Albion and Bulwark.
“This situation is untenable. Peace comes through strength, but right now we are displaying vulnerability.
“Something must change. Now.”
Mr Jenrick also insisted the UK should “unequivocally reject” claims of reparations.
“While the topic of overseas aid and reparations is being discussed, let me confront it head on,” he said in a speech at the Henry Jackson Society.
“We must unequivocally reject these claims, they are based on false and misleading narratives about our past, after all it was Britain that worked harder than nearly any other country to eradicate the slave trade.”