Kemi Badenoch declined to reveal her admiration for Nigel Farage on a day when 20 Tory councillors switched to Reform UK. Despite facing questions about her leadership and the lackluster ambiance at the conference in Manchester, the struggling Tory leader maintained it was a “good conference” even with noticeable empty seats during major speeches. Badenoch faced a challenging series of interviews where she evaded inquiries about resigning as Tory leader after the local elections and struggled to respond coherently.
During an interview with Sky News, Badenoch highlighted her proudest moment as leader as the party being “united,” despite the departure of several MPs and councillors under her watch. When asked by Beth Rigby if she admired Nigel Farage as a politician, Badenoch responded with confusion and redirected the focus to other political figures like Keir Starmer and Ed Davey. She expressed disinterest in Farage, emphasizing her focus on the Conservative Party and questioning the media’s fixation on him.
Notably, 19 former Conservative MPs have defected to join Farage’s party, with only two currently serving as MPs. Badenoch faced further scrutiny regarding potential resignation if the Tories underperform in the upcoming elections but avoided directly addressing the question, emphasizing her conference agenda over future plans.
Dismissing polls that question her leadership, Badenoch maintained her confidence in keeping the party unified based on feedback received at the conference. In a separate BBC interview, she labeled the defections to Reform UK as a mere “stunt” and compared them to previous defections to the Labour Party. Additionally, a video clip emerged showing Badenoch singing “Sweet Caroline” with youthful activists, adding a light-hearted moment to her intense media appearances.