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Tom Tugendhat has accused his Tory management rival Robert Jenrick of utilizing footage of a lifeless soldier he served with in a marketing campaign video which claimed the SAS is killing terrorists as a substitute of capturing them.
Mr Jenrick, one of many frontrunners to exchange Rishi Sunak, sparked a serious backlash with a video on Monday about why the UK should go away the European Court docket of Human Rights.
In an effort to again up his marketing campaign, Mr Jenrick says: ‘Our particular forces are killing, somewhat than capturing terrorists as a result of our attorneys inform us if they’re caught the European Court docket will set them free.’
The accusation has been closely condemned by Mr Tugendhat and James Cleverly, each of whom have served within the navy and are additionally within the Tory management race.
And in an astonishing twist final evening, Mr Tugendhat revealed that he knew one of many Particular Forces troopers who was proven finishing up an operation within the video on the precise level Mr Jenrick makes the controversial declare.
Talking to Newsnight, the previous safety minister mentioned: ‘What’s significantly upsetting is that video is utilizing a chunk of footage of a number of the individuals I served with, one in all whom there died shortly after that movie was taken in an accident.’
He mentioned that the soldier was ‘not capable of defend himself from the accusation which is successfully being levelled in opposition to him’.
Tom Tugendhat (pictured) final evening accused his Tory management rival Robert Jenrick of utilizing footage of a lifeless soldier he served with in a marketing campaign video which claimed the SAS is killing terrorists as a substitute of capturing them
When host Victoria Derbyshire requested: ‘So that’s really footage of anyone you knew?’, he replied: ‘Sure. That is footage of a soldier in northern Afghanistan in round 2002.’
He added: ‘I don’t assume we ought to be utilizing footage of our particular forces troopers in operations.’
When requested if Mr Jenrick ought to take away the footage, Mr Tugendhat replied: ‘I’d not put that video out, in actual fact I’d pull it down.’
He added: ‘That is merely factually incorrect… I feel this video is just fallacious.’
Ms Derbyshire mentioned he appeared ‘quietly livid’, to which he replied: ‘How would you are feeling if a good friend of yours who died a number of years after the movie was taken was being included in an accusation… that might be in opposition to the values and requirements of the armed forces.’
It got here after Mr Jenrick doubled down on his accusation on the Conservative Get together convention earlier on Tuesday.
Showing on the primary stage, he was requested whether or not he believes ‘particular forces are killing somewhat than capturing terrorists as a result of attorneys will set them free below the European Court docket’, he mentioned: ‘I do, I do.’
He continued: ‘Our very revered former colleague Ben Wallace, among the best defence secretaries in trendy occasions, used his first intervention after leaving workplace to make virtually this very level.
Within the video, Robert Jenrick underlined his pledge to take the UK out of the ECHR
On the Tory get together convention yesterday, Mr Jenrick doubled down on the accusations
Shadow residence secretary James Cleverly, a former soldier, mentioned UK forces didn’t ‘homicide individuals’
‘He mentioned that he would assume it was troublesome for the UK, our armed forces, to conduct an identical operation to the one which america did to kill or seize Osama bin Laden.
‘That is fallacious. I do not need our human rights equipment to be standing in the way in which of taking the fitting operational choices for our nationwide safety and for shielding the lives of the courageous women and men who serve in our particular forces.’
Earlier than showing on Newsnight, Mr Tugendhat referred to as the claims an ‘extraordinarily severe allegation’ and advised individuals shouldn’t ‘touch upon navy issues you already know nothing about’.
Mr Tugendhat advised a convention fringe occasion: ‘It’s an especially severe allegation and with out very particular examples it might be… irresponsible to try this.’
He added: ‘In case you current a respectable navy menace to the UK, then now we have below the legal guidelines of armed battle at present a authorized capacity and actually a navy functionality to conduct operations to maintain the British individuals secure.
‘I’m afraid that’s merely a truth, and if you do not know it please do not touch upon navy issues you already know nothing about.’
Shadow residence secretary James Cleverly, a former soldier, mentioned UK forces didn’t ‘homicide individuals’.
He advised Sky Information: ‘You are going to must ask Robert to justify that assertion. That is not one thing which I’ve heard.
Rivals for the Conservative prime job have heaped strain on Mr Jenrick (pictured) – seen by many because the favorite to win – to again up the allegation concerning the European Court docket of Human Rights
‘That is not one thing which I am not comfy sort of repeating.
‘As I say, if Robert is ready to justify that I feel he ought to.
‘The British navy at all times abide by worldwide humanitarian legislation, the legislation of armed battle.
‘We have now, I used to be about to say a number of the most, no, now we have essentially the most skilled navy on the earth. Our navy don’t homicide individuals.’
Former Conservative lawyer normal Dominic Grieve described the clip as ‘probably the most astonishing movies I’ve ever seen posted by a Conservative MP, not to mention a candidate for the management’.
A Labour supply mentioned: ‘Robert Jenrick’s ludicrous try to politicise our particular forces reveals you the way far the Tories have fallen. He ought to apologise. Our courageous servicemen and ladies deserve higher than this.’
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