Kemi Badenoch Denies Tory Plotters as Friends, Supports Sunak as PM

Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary of the UK, has denied claims that she is involved in Tory plots to replace Rishi Sunak as the Prime Minister before the upcoming election. She asserted that those hoping for her to take over are ‘not my friends,’ although she did not rule out a leadership bid in the future.

Conservative MPs have been urged by donors, former aides, and other party members to oust Sunak from office. Badenoch’s name has emerged as a possible ‘consensus’ candidate to replace him, considering her support among grassroots Tory members. However, the business secretary reaffirmed her full support for Sunak during her appearance on the Sunday Morning show with Trevor Phillips. She criticized the plotters, stating that they ‘need to stop messing around and get behind the leader.’

Badenoch emphasized that she does not consider the plotters as her friends, as they do not genuinely care about her, her family, or the consequences of their actions. She urged the Tory party to stop treating prime ministers as disposable and expressed her frustration with the ongoing speculation.

While Badenoch denied having discussions with rebel MPs, she did not completely dismiss the idea of a future leadership bid, stating that one can never know until they’re in the moment. However, she mentioned that she had already stood in a leadership contest in July 2022 and lost. The business secretary emphasized her loyalty to Sunak and her desire to see him succeed.

Last week, former cabinet minister Karen Gibson described the current state of the party as heading for a ‘massacre’ at the ballot box and called for a new Tory leader. However, this intervention faced backlash from other Tory MPs, including Priti Patel, who called it ‘facile and divisive self-indulgence.’ Rebel MPs reportedly formed a group to install a new party leader, which has caused further concern as upcoming by-elections in Wellingborough and Kingswood are not expected to favor the Conservatives.