A key theme of Mr Jenrick’s speech was his pitch to build a “new Conservative Party”, a nod to the success of the New Labour campaign.
He said: “The truth is this. If we are going to change this party, to restore the trust and the confidence of the people, if we’re going to tackle together the immense challenges our country faces, we are going to have to build something new.
“A new Conservative Party. That is what I call for today. A new Conservative Party. Nothing less than that. Built on the rock of our proudest traditions and noblest values. But a new Conservative Party.
“And if I am your leader, that is what – together – we will build: a new Conservative Party.”
The former Cabinet minister also vowed to take a stand on “crazy” climate targets put in place by Gordon Brown, the former Labour prime minister.
Mr Brown’s administration passed the Climate Change Act in 2008, requiring the UK to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, compared with 1990 levels.
In 2019, Theresa May’s government changed the law to commit to a more ambitious 100 per cent reduction – or “net zero”.
Mr Jenrick said: “We also have to oppose the root of the problem, the serious issue.
“And that’s not the principle of net zero, but the crazy interim binding targets put into law by Gordon Brown. It’s the mad targets, the carbon budgets, that don’t take any account of innovation that’s driving the mad policies.
“So I say that with our new Conservative Party, we will stand for cutting emissions, but we will never do it, never, on the backs of working people, and by further de-industrialising our great country.”