Robert Jenrick challenged by journalist after dismissing Sarah Pochin’s claims of chauvinism within Reform

Tory turned Reform MP Robert Jenrick was robustly challenged by a BBC journalist after he dismissed fellow Reform MP Sarah Pochin’s claims that their party is “chauvinistic”.

Pochin was recorded by undercover ITV reporters saying that Reform “exclude you if you’re a woman”, adding: “There’s a bit of a male issue going on.”

Speaking to a female reporter posing as a press officer, Pochin said: “We so need female press officers, they [Reform] are so f****** chauvinistic.”

Asked whether he had spoken to Pochin since her comments were aired, Jenrick said he had, but said that her comments did not reflect his own experience of the party.

Jenrick said Pochin was “a very valued colleague of mine”, however he said: “That’s not my experience of Reform.”

BBC Radio 4 Today presenter Anna Foster challenged Jenrick, stating: “But respectfully I mean you said that’s not your experience, but you’re not a woman.”

Jenrick replied: “Well that’s why I said you’d have to speak to her, didn’t I.”

Foster then said: “But I’m interested to know what support you’ve offered her because I think for any woman who finds herself in a situation where she describes her colleagues as ‘chauvinistic’ you would want to hear support from those male colleagues.”

The Reform Treasury spokesperson struggled to answer Foster’s question, and then completely dismissed Pochin’s claims, stating: “You’re trying to make something where there is nothing.”

“I’ve spoken to Sarah many times. We are colleagues and friends and she knows that she can always rely on me,” Jenrick added.

He repeated his point that Pochin’s comments about chauvinism in Reform did not reflect his views, stating: “But it’s not my experience that the party has problems of that kind.”

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward