The Conservative Party has been having a rough time of late, with the Rwanda row controversy coming hot on the heels of the Covid inquiry scandal. Indeed, Kemi Badenoch has been making headlines over the infamous ‘Evil Plotters’ WhatsApp group. After much speculation, The Guardian reported that the business secretary was, in fact, part of this group. As its name suggests, the group allegedly contained Tory MPs who were rallying around Badenoch as she gained support as a potential replacement for Rishi Sunak.
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However, she has come out in defence of her own standpoint, which has been somewhat lost in the whirlwind of controversy and back-stabbing that seems to have entrapped the Tories over recent months. Here’s what she had to say about the Tories’ alleged plot to make her their leader.
Kim Badenoch rejects claims she is plotting against Sunak
Badenoch spoke in support of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during this unstable time. The business secretary responded to the rumours about her being put forward as his replacement on Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips. She explained that to her, those putting her name into the mix were simply ‘stirring’:
The fact of the matter is most people in the country are not interested in all of this Westminster tittle-tattle. Quite frankly, the people who keep putting my name in there are not my friends.
She went on to explain, ‘They don’t care about me. They don’t care about my family or what this would entail.’ According to Badenoch, these Tory plotters - who could be called her ‘supporters’ - need to ‘stop messing around’ and get behind their leader, despite his faults.
Who is Kemi Badenoch?
Although Badenoch claims that she is not gunning for the top position this time around, she certainly has considered it in the past. She put herself forward in the 2022 election to replace Boris Johnson. She outlined her right-wing attitude at the time, stating:
There are always tough choices in life and in politics; no free lunches, no tax cuts without limits on government spending, no stronger defence without a slimmer state.
Her bid was backed by a dozen Tories, including Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove - who is reportedly also part of the ‘Evil Plotters’ group. Ultimately, she lost out to Liz Truss, who went on to have her limp 44-day stint as PM.
Badenoch tipped to be leader by supercomputer
As calls for Sunak to be bumped out of his position get louder, a supercomputer was asked to predict who his replacement would most likely be. Star Sports released the information and, you guessed it, Badenoch came out on top.
Penny Mourdant, Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons, came in second, with controversial Home Secretary Suella Braverman slipping into third place.
It seems that Badenoch is keen to downplay her ambition to become the Tories’ leader, and only time will tell who our next PM will be.
Read more:
⋙ Suella Braverman's unforgettable appearance at the Tory conference as she steps on a blind man’s dog
⋙ Rishi Sunak starts his week off by following this strict rule: 'He is incredibly disciplined'
⋙ Rishi Sunak owns four luxury homes, here’s the rundown on his £14m portfolio
Sources used:
Express: Rishi Sunak's replacement predicted by supercomputer - and it's bad news for Boris Johnson
GOV.UK: The Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP
The Standard: Who is Kemi Badenoch? Tory minister tells party to 'stop messing around' over Sunak future
The Standard: Kemi Badenoch ally says ‘Evil Plotters’ group claim is ‘silly gossip’
The Guardian: Kemi Badenoch is member of ‘Evil Plotters’ Tory WhatsApp group
