Kemi Badenoch has criticised Conservative plotters for 'stirring' by suggesting she could replace Rishi Sunak, insisting that prime ministers 'cannot be treated as disposable'. The business secretary, who consistently ranks as the favourite cabinet minister in polls of Tory members, said it would be wrong to remove Sunak based on unpopularity or poor polling.
Speaking on Sky's Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme, Badenoch urged the plotters to 'stop messing around and get behind the leader'. She dismissed those who put her name forward as 'not my friends', adding: 'They don't care about me, they don't care about my family or what this would entail. They are just stirring.'
Badenoch stressed that her own popularity among Tory members was irrelevant, stating: 'This is not a popularity contest. This is about running the country. We can't just keep treating prime ministers as if they are disposable.' She later told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that there was too much focus on personality in politics, and that sticking with Sunak's plan would solve the country's problems.
When asked about former cabinet minister Simon Clarke, who called for Sunak to resign, Badenoch said he should have aired his opinions privately within the party. She denied involvement in any plotting, saying she had called Clarke to tell him to stop. However, she did not rule out a future leadership bid, saying: 'You never really know until you are in the moment.'
The comments come amid a mysterious plot against Sunak, with a group called the Conservative Britain Alliance funding a £40,000 poll predicting a Labour landslide. Former Tory aides, including ex-No 10 adviser Will Dry, are suspected of being involved.
