‘Abrasive’ Kemi Badenoch urged to play nice to secure Conservative leadership | conservative

Supporters of Kemi Badenoch have urged her to curb her confrontational style to secure the Tory leadership, with some Conservative MPs concluding they will have to take “a big risk” to restore their party’s fortunes if they take Rishi Replace Sunak.

The shadow communities secretary emerged from the only scheduled televised debate on GB News last week with most MPs believing she was still the favorite in what remains a close contest with Robert Jenrick. Party members have until the end of the month to cast their votes.

However, Conservative MPs supporting Badenoch revealed they had urged her to curb her confrontational style for the duration of the campaign to ensure she gets over the finish line. Badenoch is considered uncompromising in her views and demands and had already stated during the election campaign that some civil servants performed so poorly that they had to go to prison. A senior MP who supported Badenoch said they had urged her to tone down her approach to ensure she secured the post in order to persuade party members to take a risk and support her.

“Kemi is more popular among the members. She is considered charismatic, but some of us also consider her aggressive,” they said. “I gave her some tough advice. She needs to be pragmatically ruthless and think about the issues she wants to fight for, because the elections will be very different in three or four years.”

Another Badenoch ally said: “As Kemi said on GB News, she’s happy to stand up to people who are after Conservatives, but she won’t engage in blue on blue.” Kemi wants to unite people around our core principles, instead of dividing the party with the same simple promises over and over again that are not kept.”

While some MPs remain alienated from the race and believe both candidates are too far to the right to forge a successful appeal to voters as a whole, some have chosen to support Badenoch because they believe the party needs to make waves If she wants to succeed an impression in contrast.

“I think it will turn into a kind of Boadicea,” said one MP. “[Nigel] Farage will look a bit strange against them. She’s going to be quite a character, and we need a character. We don’t need a technocrat right now. She is authentic. I think we’re taking a big risk, but we’ll probably do it because we think she’ll pull through.”

Badenoch, who has chosen not to announce any significant new policies during the race, last week defended her combative approach, saying it was about “doing the right thing for our country – following our beliefs, being brave and not being afraid.” to have in front of it.” Guardian or whoever will mock us.”

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Ballots were sent out to party members this week and the winner will be announced on November 2nd.