In some respects, you can feel an iota of sympathy for Kemi Badenoch on this one. With all the comings and goings of Conservative leaders in recent years, keeping track of them all is no mean feat – and it has lead to the incumbent asking a BBC reporter for clarification.
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‘Is she still in the party? You tell me!” – Kemi Badenoch
In the amusing exchange on Friday, Badenoch was asked by Chris Mason if she would consider kicking Liz Truss out of the Conservative Party, echoing how Keir Starmer ‘ousted’ Jeremy Corbyn. It was a question that, somewhat surprisingly, seemed to catch the opposition leader off-guard.
Looking puzzled, she then asked Mason if Liz Truss was even in the party, before saying ‘you tell me’. The former Prime Minister has endured a spectacular fall from grace, after lasting just 49 days in Downing Street, back in 2022. However, there’s only one thing she is remembered for…
“Is [Liz Truss] still in the party? You tell me! The mini-budget did not balance. It wasn’t tax cuts, it was the … £150 billion of spending increases on energy bills that did not make sense. Look at what happened, people didn’t understand why we had done that.” | Kemi Badenoch
Liz Truss remains in the Conservative Party – but how long for?
Amid the awkward exchange, Badenoch was challenged several times on whether she would remove Truss from the party. Within the last 18 months, she has given a set of questionable speeches, largely talking Britain down and criticising the so-called ‘deep state’.
Her latest address to CPAC in Hungary claimed that Brits were fleeing to Eastern Europe, due to crackdowns on free speech. Her unsubstantiated claims have been largely derided. But as the current party leader, Kemi Badenoch says that dealing with Liz Truss is not her top priority.
“Our reputation for economic competence was damaged. But this is not about any particular individual. I don’t want to be commenting on previous prime ministers. We need to focus on how we’re going to get this country back on track”. | Kemi Badenoch