I was in the room when Kemi said good riddance to Reform defectors | Politics | News
The first rule of holding a press conference is to make sure the room is full, and Kemi Badenoch proved she can still draw a crowd. Tory Faith attending his speech had one mission: to cheer loudly and cheer often – and they did.
This was the moment when Kemi Badenoch needed to show that she was not afraid of the recent departures to Reform UK. He portrayed them as drama queens and tantrum-throwing children who could not be trusted with a role in government.
The speech had a second purpose. He also needed to push the legislation on liberal Tories, who might think the departure of their harder-line Right colleagues would create an opportunity to shift the party away from its focus on immigration.
Not a little bit. Ms Badenoch has no intention of turning the Conservatives into a blue-tinted version of the Liberal Democrats. From the moment he took the podium, he defended plans to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and repeal the Climate Change Act.
There was no point in him wishing that former Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick was still in his senior team, or lamenting the departure of former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, let alone the likes of Romford MP Andrew Rosunull.
In his message to those who survived, he said: “I’m sorry you didn’t win the leadership contest, I’m sorry you didn’t get into our shadow cabinet, I’m sorry you didn’t get into the Lords, but you don’t offer a plan to fix this country. This is a tantrum disguised as politics.”
His speech came after former Scottish Tory leader Baroness Davidson and former Mayor of the West Midlands Sir Andy Street formed Prosper, a group to defend the center field.
Ms Badenoch criticized “old politicians who deny that the world is changing, who do not want to accept that immigration is too high”.
In case anyone had any doubts that a party that entered coalition with the Liberal Democrats in 2010 might now be head over heels, he said: “We are not a Left party and we should not tolerate people who want to paint that picture.”
It could be a long time before the Conservatives hold a press conference to expose someone leaving their party; but Mrs. Badenoch wants to swell the party ranks.
He made an open call to those who want to form the “new generation of MPs” to receive their applications.
“We are building an army that will deliver merit-based democracy, abolish the bureaucratic class and make Britain work again,” he said.
After the speech, shadow cabinet ministers gathered for a family photo. It was a show of unity by a party in battle mode, and with Mr Jenrick no longer in the ranks, Ms Badenoch is the undisputed general.
