Kemi Badenoch claims Robert Jenrick’s call to quit the ECtHR will “divide the Tories” as leadership rivals clash in the TV debate

In today’s televised debate, the final two contenders for the Tory leadership engaged in a bitter row over Britain’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick come into conflict over the issue as they vie to recruit members of the Conservative Party.

Mr Jenrick, a former immigration minister, has made leaving the ECtHR a key plank of his campaign to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader.

But appearing alongside Mr Jenrick on GB News this evening, Ms Badenoch warned her rival against splitting the Tory party.

“The ECHR argument is not the right one,” she said. “I think it will divide our party, it will cause the infighting and arguments to continue.”

She called on the Tories to “end the drama” and “build consensus”, adding: “Maybe that means leaving the ECtHR, but it’s not about imposing your views on everyone else.”

Mr Jenrick had previously said his “crystal clear policies” – such as leaving the ECtHR and limiting legal immigration to the UK – would see the Tories confront the threat of Reform UK.

He warned that the Tories would “never be in government again” unless they won back disaffected voters or those who backed Nigel Farage’s reforms in July.

But Mr Jenrick said his “crystal clear policies” – such as leaving the ECtHR and limiting legal migration to the UK – would see the Tories confront the threat of Reform UK

The final two Tory leadership contenders engaged in a bitter row over Britain’s membership of the ECtHR in a GB News debate moderated by the channel’s political editor Chris Hope

Mr Jenrick stressed that immigration was the main issue behind the party’s devastating general election defeat.

He said the failure to deliver on migration promises during his 14 years in power explains “why our party is where it is now”.

The Newark MP added: “This is why we lost four million of our citizens to reform in the general election and millions more who chose to stay at home.”

“You know who these people are whose trust we have lost, and we have to win them back. If we don’t get them back into our party, we will never be in government again.”

Mr Jenrick reiterated his call for the UK to withdraw from the ECHR and impose a cap on legal migration at “tens of thousands or less”.

But later during the televised debate, in which each candidate separately answered questions from the audience, Ms Badenoch brushed off Mr Jenrick’s numerous political promises.

She said the Tory leadership contest was “not a test of who can make the biggest promises,” adding: “This is not a general election. “We’ve had one of those before and we lost.”

Ms Badenoch later added: “The public removed us from government because they felt we were not competent and did not deliver on our promises.”

“The answer is not to make new promises. The answer is to properly carry out the task that they have given us and that is the task of the opposition.

“If we can show that we have integrity, if we can show that we share their values, if we can show that we have learned the lessons of the past, then they will give us another chance.”

“That’s why I support renewal.” “That’s why I don’t throw away many policies.”

Ms Badenoch also criticized Jenrick’s main political promise that Britain would leave the ECHR was not a “silver bullet” in tackling illegal migration.

She warned that there needs to be a “proper overall plan” and said the Tories should “not rush to make promises”.

“If we have to leave the ECHR to control migration, we should leave it,” she said.

“But it’s not a silver bullet.” It’s not even the most radical thing we can do.

“Immigration is too high, both legal and illegal.” We need to address that. It puts a strain on public services. We are unable to build housing to keep up.

“It’s not fair, but we have to ask ourselves: Why are countries that are part of the ECHR better at deporting people who are there illegally than we are?”

“France is able to send back about 70 percent, while we send back about 10 percent. So it can’t be the ECHR that’s stopping us.”

“That’s why I don’t want us to make hasty promises when we don’t have specific reasons for what’s happening.”

“The ECHR could be a solution.” That is something I would think about. But if we’re going to do that, we need a proper wholesale plan.”