“The Party has got to end the drama” - five things we learnt from Robert Jenrick’s interview with Mumsnet

On Tuesday evening, Conservative leadership contender Robert Jenrick MP sat down with Mumsnet founder and CEO Justine Roberts to answer questions from some of the site’s nine million users.? Here are five things we learnt from the interview:

1 He says the Conservative Party “look like children”

RJ: “I want us to have really serious and substantive policies so that we can begin to regain the trust and the confidence of the public. And more broadly, the party's got to end the drama. I think people are really switched off our party because we seem to be squabbling all the time. We look like children, we were not behaving like adults, let alone people who deserve to be running the country. And I want to change that and be a party that seems professional and competent and deserving of your support once again”.

2 He doesn’t think politicians should get drawn into the politics of a foreign country - but he doesn’t regret saying he would support Donald Trump

RK: “I think at this stage in a presidential election, the most important thing is to leave it to the people of the United States to make up their own minds. I don't have a vote. And then to work as closely as possible with whoever is ultimately successful.

JR: “So do you regret saying that [you supported Trump] on that basis?”?

RJ: “No, I think that it was a natural thing as a Conservative to say that we work with the Republican Party. But this is now a matter for the people of the United States, and I will work with whoever is president”.?

3 His wife carries the “mental load” in his house - and he sometimes worries that he’s “missing out” on being a dad because of his job?

RJ: “I have three young girls and as you say my wife works and so life is a bit chaotic at times. We're constantly trying to balance things. I think we split parental duties pretty evenly actually and we try and do our bit to both ensure that there's always somebody at you know sports events, at parents evenings, at school plays and so on. But it's not simple to do that and at times I worry that I'm missing out myself on the pleasures that come with being a dad, but much more importantly on looking after my children in the way that I should do in their formative years.”?

JR: “Who has the “mental load in your household…?”

RJ: “In honesty, I think that the sort of family spreadsheet, if you want to call it, probably sits in my wife's head”.?

4 He agrees with Wes Streeting that weight loss drugs should be more freely available on the NHS

RJ: “I did lose weight by taking it [Ozempic]. I didn't particularly enjoy the experience, but I don't regret it.? And I then moved on to more tried and tested age old ways of losing weight, like going running, going to the gym, eating less, who would have thought. I would like it to be available more freely on the NHS because anything that can help us to lead healthier, more active lives is a good thing. And I wouldn't want it to be something that is purely available to those on somewhat higher incomes…”

5 He wouldn’t take the decision to order the painting over of murals for kids in immigration centres again

JR: “But you accept that it was a bit mean-spirited, you say you wouldn't do it again, and you accept that??

RJ: “Well, it's not something I would do again, but I think that the reason why I did it is very clear, that it was to ensure that we weed out those people who are posing as children, and I think my broader record is there for anyone to see. I did more than frankly any other minister has ever done, if not in recent years, to make sure that we look after the genuine children.”?

And a bonus sixth thing:

His favourite biscuit is a custard cream - and during Covid he ordered six million packets for food parcels?

RJ: “My favourite biscuit is a custard cream. And I say it's funny because during COVID, one of my responsibilities was to create food boxes for those people who were shielding at home.? And so I had a snap decision as to what to put in these food boxes and I decided to put in a custard cream. And so I ended up making the world's largest ever order of custard creams of six million packets of custard creams”.