Tories display mock Bayeux Tapestry mocking Labour and Jenrick

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 7 Oct, 11:14 · Archive

The Conservative party displayed an 88-foot mock Bayeux Tapestry at its Birmingham conference, depicting party leader Kemi Badenoch as a conquering hero and mocking Labour figures and defector Robert Jenrick.

The Conservative party has displayed an 88-foot mock Bayeux Tapestry at its Birmingham conference this week, creating a satirical retelling of recent British politics from a Conservative standpoint. The replica, dubbed the 'Birmingham Tapestry', depicts party leader Kemi Badenoch as a glorious 11th-century conquering warrior, echoing the style of the original 11th-century embroidery currently on display at the British Museum.

The mock tapestry portrays Labour figures in an unflattering light. Chancellor John Healey is shown shooting arrows at taxpayers and attempting to grab cash from a magic money tree, while plucking a golden goose. His predecessor Rachel Reeves is depicted handing out bags of gold. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is regularly pictured vaping, and Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is mocked for his running gear, shown in short shorts and depicted sewing an extra star onto an EU flag.

Former Conservative Robert Jenrick features prominently in the display. The tapestry shows him as a tiny figure wailing as he loses the leadership contest to Badenoch, and later depicts him being 'expelled' as a turncoat as he plotted his defection to Reform UK. According to the Guardian, Jenrick, who left the Conservatives to become Reform UK's economy spokesperson, has been 'swiping from the sidelines' at the conference, accusing his former party of copying Reform's policies.

Nigel Farage is also depicted in the tapestry having a 'hissy fit' over questions about his finances, and his by-election contest against Count Binface is immortalised in the display. The exhibition has proved popular among conference attendees, with members queuing to view the satirical artwork. City AM notes that the mock tapestry may rank among the most popular attractions at the party conference.

How it is being reported

• Tories delight as satirical tapestry pokes fun at ‘turncoat’ Robert JenrickReminders of banished Reform UK defector were all around the Conservative party conference in Birmingham As Kemi Badenoch basked in the applause of the Tory faithful at the close of her pivotal speech at Conservative party conference last year, one member of her shadow cabinet looked less than enthused. Robert Jenrick, bested by Badenoch in the leadership contest a year earlier, looked on, and – as one shadow cabinet member now recalls – had to be prodded by Lord Ashcroft to applaud. “If you’re plotting against someone, then you at least pretend to like them,” they say. “The thing about…Guardian World · 7 Oct, 06:00
• Will anyone turn Badenoch’s looming battle into a tapestry?The Tory party has been enjoying itself in Birmingham, not least thanks to the delightful wheeze of mocking up the Bayeux Tapestry to tell the story of British politics under Labour’s first two years in power. The exhibition may well prove to be among the most popular offerings at the party conference; behind Jeremy Clarkson [...]City AM · 7 Oct, 05:01
• Tories and Labour go to war with spoof Bayeux Tapestry mock-upsThe Conservatives used their fake Bayeux Tapestry to stitch up a narrative of party leader Kemi Badenoch as a conquering hero, and taking aim at Labour and ReformThe Mirror · 5 Oct, 13:29

In this story: Kemi Badenoch · Labour · Robert Jenrick · Reform UK · Conservative Party · John Healey · Rachel Reeves · Angela Rayner

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