Kemi Badenoch, a contender for the Conservative Party leadership, has acknowledged that some of her colleagues view her as rude and said that she would take a more measured approach. Badenoch is widely seen as the frontrunner to replace current leader Rishi Sunak when the results of the party membership vote are announced on Saturday. When questioned about her perceived abrasiveness, Badenoch acknowledged that she may need to be less confrontational in future. She also suggested that she is less perturbed by stress than many others, something that has allowed her to maintain her approach thus far.
In an interview for the BBC’s Newscast podcast, Badenoch also revealed that she has been encouraged to soften her approach by some of her advisors. “I have to be mindful that I have a higher tolerance for things than others, and I think part of being a leader is being able to calibrate so that you can help manage other people,” she said. Badenoch added that she was not aiming for perfection, suggesting that nobody is without flaws. She also made reference to the low turnout among Tory members voting for the new party leader, saying that she would be doing more media work in the lead up to the announcement to encourage more participation.
Despite many commentators expecting her to win, Badenoch claimed that she was not overly concerned about the result and acknowledged that either she or her rival, Robert Jenrick, could claim victory. She added that the overall outcome was out of her hands and in the realm of politics. Badenoch has been less visible in the media than Jenrick during the campaign but has received considerable support from grassroots party members. A full version of the interview will be available on the BBC Sounds platform from Tuesday
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