What a week it’s been already for Robert Jenrick, Reform’s ludicrously titled ‘shadow chancellor’ and the man who expects to have his hands on the nation’s purse strings following the next general election.
On Monday Bobby J was one of the leading figures behind the party’s National Fuel Tax Protest in central London, a protest in rising prices at the pumps that Reform promised would be the largest in the UK since farmers blockaded refineries across the country during the early days of Tony Blair’s premiership.
“The Houses of Parliament is expected to be swarmed by a legion of farmers on tractors, lorry drivers and tradesmen in vans as they demand the Chancellor of the Exchequer takes action to tackle ‘out of control’ fuel prices,” reported London’s No Longer Evening Standard, swallowing Reform’s line hook, line and sinker.
As it turned out though, Parliament was not even mildly inconvenienced, never mind swarmed – only around 70 people turned up, most of them journalists who didn’t block the streets as they curiously strolled over from their Westminster offices on foot.
A single Reform-branded turquoise double decker bus parked up outside the Red Lion pub, including such party figures as former Conservative cabinet minister Jenrick, MP and former Conservative councillor Sarah Pochin, London mayoral candidate and former Conservative councillor Laila Cunningham, Senedd member and former Conservative Laura Anne Jones, and Alex Wilson, a London Assembly member (and former Conservative councillor).
Deputy leader Richard Tice, meanwhile, a man who has never knowingly taken a bus, joined them in a taxi which he boasted to the few assembled journalists was “non ULEZ [ultra low emission zone] compliant”.
“There was also a male pedestrian who appeared to be waiting for the protest to start,” reported the Wandsworth Times, quite sadly. But never mind! Reform’s crack IT team were on hand to create an AI-generated image for social media showing dozens of vehicles, including tractors, lorries and vans, in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament.
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Meanwhile, Jenrick is also faced potentially more serious questions over a potential dodgy donation for his campaign to become Conservative leader in 2024 after an investigation by the elections watchdog was handed over to police.
Jenrick received almost £100,000 in donations from a company called the Spott Fitness as he managed to lose heavily to Kemi Badenoch in the contest. Following his subsequent defection to Reform he is now facing claims that £37,500 of that funding was ultimately given to him by a US businessman, Gary Klopfenstain, via a US company he founded called Innovyz USA. Previously it has been stated that Phillip Ullmann, a UK businessman, was the ultimate source of donations made through the Spott Fitness.
It is against the law for foreign companies and individuals to donate to UK politicians or parties, and the Electoral Commission has confirmed it had sent evidence about the donation to the Metropolitan Police after conducting its own investigation.
A spokesman for Jenrick said: “The suggestion that Robert knowingly accepted impermissible donations is an untrue, politically motivated smear, put about years later by the Conservatives, despite the fact that Mr Ullmann was introduced to Robert by a Tory MP and had his donations’ permissibility checked by the party.” One to watch…
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