It has been claimed Kemi Badenoch could start a fight in an empty room.
She’s a combative, confrontational, anti-woke crusader who takes no prisoners – among opposition MPs and even some Tories.
In her article in The Times confirming her leadership bid, Ms Badenoch wrote: “If I have the privilege to serve, we will speak the truth again.”
Speaking the truth – again? That sounds like a claim that under Rishi Sunak the Conservatives have not been telling the truth.
And indeed there’s evidence to support that that’s exactly what she’s alleging.
At the first shadow cabinet meeting after the Tories’ election defeat, she attacked Mr Sunak for his 4 July dash to the polls, according to a leak of her comments.
She was reported to have claimed the D-day debacle cost Tory MPs their seats. And she attacked Suella Braverman for attacking the Tories during the campaign.
Yes, really! There would appear to be no love lost between these two Brexit Boadiceas.
And within minutes of Ms Badenoch’s Times article appearing, Ms Braverman – perhaps predictably – threw in the towel before she even entered the ring.
“I’ve been branded mad, bad and dangerous by my own party – so I will not lead it,” she wrote in The Daily Telegraph, though she claimed she did have the required 10 nominations.
We’ll now never know whether that’s true. But even if she did, she almost certainly wouldn’t have got beyond the first round of voting by MPs.
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Ms Badenoch attacked Ms Braverman for attacking the Tories during the campaign. Pic: PA
Spat with David Tennant
Ms Badenoch, it has to be said, has also been called bad things by critics. But then she doesn’t just have rows with political opponents or even colleagues.
One of her most high-profile spats was with former Doctor Who star David Tennant last month.
To be fair to her, he started it. But she didn’t hold back in her retaliation.
At the British LGBT awards, he said: “Until we wake up and Kemi Badenoch doesn’t exist any more – I don’t wish ill of her, I just wish her to shut up.”
She hit back on X: “I will not shut up. A rich, lefty, white male celebrity so blinded by ideology he can’t see the optics of attacking the only black woman in government by calling publicly for my existence to end.”
Criticise Kemi at your peril!
Badenoch on ‘clarifying’ gender and sex
Furious public row with former Post Office boss
Earlier this year, at the height of the Post Office Horizon scandal, the business secretary became involved in a furious public row with former Post Office boss Henry Staunton.
After she sacked him, Mr Staunton told The Sunday Times he was told to “stall” spending on compensation for Horizon scandal victims ahead of the general election.
He also told the paper Ms Badenoch told him “someone’s got to take the rap” for the Horizon scandal and said he discovered his sacking following a phone call from Sky News.
Once again, she hit back on social media, accusing him in a lengthy post on X of “a disgraceful misrepresentation of my conversation with him and the reasons for his dismissal”.
She added: “Henry Staunton had a lack of grip getting justice for postmasters. The serious concerns over his conduct were the reasons I asked him to step down.
“That he chose to run to the media with made-up anecdotes and a series of falsehoods confirms I made the correct decision.”
Later, in a Commons statement, she told MPs Mr Staunton was being investigated over bullying claims and accused him of a “blatant attempt to seek revenge” following his dismissal.
Explosive clashes with political opponents
But it’s in her former role as minister for women and equalities that Ms Badenoch has been involved in some of her most heated clashes with political opponents.
In one of her most explosive clashes, she was reprimanded by Caroline Nokes, then chair of the equalities committee and now – ominously for Ms Badenoch – a Commons deputy speaker.
During a fiery row at a hearing of Ms Nokes’ committee, Mr Badenoch accused the left-wing Labour MP Kate Osborne of lying in a row about trans issues.
And earlier last year she clashed in the Commons on race issues with the Labour MP Dawn Butler and with Sir Chris Bryant, now a Labour minister, on gay rights.
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‘Who do you think you’re speaking to?’
She’s not afraid of challenging authority. Last year, she infuriated Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle by issuing a written statement on scrapping EU laws after Brexit rather than making a full Commons statement to MPs.
After she told the speaker she was sorry the timing of the announcement was “not to your satisfaction”, Sir Lindsay bellowed at her: “Who do you think you’re speaking to?”
She has proved time and time again she’s not afraid to make enemies, even the most senior figures in parliament or business.
So if Ms Badenoch becomes Tory leader, don’t expect pleasantries and politeness. It’ll be a bumpy ride. If she does win on 2 November, Conservative MPs had better buckle up.
Source Agencies
