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 an alternative of capturing them.
Mr Jenrick, one of many frontrunners to interchange Rishi Sunak, sparked a significant 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 night time, 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.
Chatting with Newsnight, the previous safety minister stated: ‘What’s notably upsetting is that video is utilizing a chunk of footage of a number of the folks I served with, one in all whom died shortly after that movie was taken in an accident.’
He stated that the soldier was ‘not in a position to defend himself from the accusation which is successfully being levelled towards him’.
Tom Tugendhat (pictured) final night time 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 an alternative of capturing them
When host Victoria Derbyshire requested: ‘So that’s truly footage of someone you knew?’, he replied: ‘Sure. That is footage of a soldier in northern Afghanistan in round 2002.’
He added: ‘I don’t suppose we must 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, actually I’d pull it down.’
He added: ‘That is merely factually incorrect… I feel this video is solely improper.’
Ms Derbyshire stated he appeared ‘quietly livid’, to which he replied: ‘How would you’re feeling if a pal of yours who died a couple of years after the movie was taken was being included in an accusation… that may be towards the values and requirements of the armed forces.’
It got here after Mr Jenrick doubled down on his accusation on the Conservative Occasion 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 stated: ‘I do, I do.’
He continued: ‘Our very revered former colleague Ben Wallace, among the finest defence secretaries in trendy instances, 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 social gathering convention yesterday, Mr Jenrick doubled down on the accusations
Shadow dwelling secretary James Cleverly, a former soldier, stated UK forces didn’t ‘homicide folks’
‘He stated that he would suppose it was troublesome for the UK, our armed forces, to conduct an analogous operation to the one which the US did to kill or seize Osama bin Laden.
‘That is improper. I do not need our human rights equipment to be standing in the best way of taking the suitable operational selections 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 prompt folks shouldn’t ‘touch upon navy issues you recognize nothing about’.
Mr Tugendhat advised a convention fringe occasion: ‘It’s a particularly severe allegation and with out very particular examples it could be… irresponsible to do this.’
He added: ‘For those who current a legit navy menace to the UK, then we now have below the legal guidelines of armed battle immediately a authorized capability and actually a navy functionality to conduct operations to maintain the British folks protected.
‘I’m afraid that’s merely a reality, and if you do not know it please do not touch upon navy issues you recognize nothing about.’
Shadow dwelling secretary James Cleverly, a former soldier, stated UK forces didn’t ‘homicide folks’.
He advised Sky Information: ‘You are going to should ask Robert to justify that assertion. That is not one thing which I’ve heard.
Rivals for the Conservative prime job have heaped stress 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 snug type 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 regulation, the regulation of armed battle.
‘We’ve, I used to be about to say a number of the most, no, we now have essentially the most skilled navy on this planet. Our navy don’t homicide folks.’
Former Conservative lawyer basic Dominic Grieve described the clip as ‘one of the astonishing movies I’ve ever seen posted by a Conservative MP, not to mention a candidate for the management’.
A Labour supply stated: ‘Robert Jenrick’s ludicrous try to politicise our particular forces reveals you ways far the Tories have fallen. He ought to apologise. Our courageous servicemen and ladies deserve higher than this.’
