The stop Kemi campaign has begun as the Conservative right battle to wrestle back control of the troubled party
Badenoch out of favour with members after betraying Boris and slamming Farage
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: It’s election week and there is a lot planned from Outspoken! On Thursday night and into Friday morning, I will host a live watchalong as the results come in so you can communicate with me as shocks are delivered during a huge consequential political night. To join in, subscribe here right now. You’ll also help me begin a long-awaited independent media revolution. The death of the mainstream media allows us to take back control of the narrative, but we’re going to have to fight for it.
Kemi Badenoch is used to taking orders from her spiritual leader Michael Gove and the shadowy forces in the Westminster swamp who run the Conservative Party via CCHQ.
She is the anointed one; picked by those who have destroyed the world’s greatest political party to continue their failed leadership of the Tories once Fishy Rishi is swept away in the inevitable historic electoral wipeout this week. A wipeout that, we must never forget, Sunak unnecessarily created by defenestrating the popular Boris Johnson, who had been elected in a landslide and was neck and neck with Slippery Starmer in the polls.
So this week, we have seen the Business Secretary emerge to stake her claim to be the next leader by rehearsing the soundbites handed to her by Conservative chiefs.
Her unconvincing argument contains two main elements: Vote for us even though we’ve been absolutely appalling in government the past two years because Nigel Farage and Reform UK is a danger.
Wielding her trademark ability to patronise, Badenoch said former Tory supporters planning to vote for Reform on Thursday – like yours truly – are decent people but we simply “don’t know who they’re voting for”.
She said: “What I am asking those people who are Reform voters, or considering voting Reform, is that you are good people, I know that you feel some disappointment with our party, but don’t let these people who claim to be like you get in. They are not like you all. They are a totally different thing.”
This is the sort of barely concealed hidden arrogance that infuriated us over the Brexit campaign. We know exactly who we are voting for and why, thank you very much; you let us down time and again.
But Badenoch went on: “I really want Reform voters to know that we’ve heard you. We understand. But you need to come back to the Conservative Party.”
No, you haven't heard us. We warned you multiple times: Control the illegal invasion of the border, leave the ECHR, slash legal immigration, cut taxes, control the snivel service, scrap the BBC licence fee etc etc. I could go on, but we all know…you only give a damn about us now because you want to save your seat – and that’s not good enough.
THE STOP KEMI MOVEMENT
Unlike the real contenders on the right of the party – Priti Patel, Jacob Rees Mogg, Robert Jenrick, and Suella Braverman, all of whom I will come to shortly – Kemi has decided to attack Farage, rather than attempt to welcome him into the fold to realign the right.
That is why the Stop Kemi movement is now in full swing, even though the corrupt MSM choose not to report on it.
Kemi seethed of the most influential politician of his generation with trademark arrogance: “I think that he wants to be talked about again. This is all a big show for him. Nigel Farage doesn’t care if there’s a Labour government. This is I’m a Celebrity for Nigel Farage. He’s done I’m a Celebrity, came third, he wants to see if he can come first or second in politics, which is just another game but actually this is about people’s lives.”
Again, I call bullshit on that. The easy thing for Nigel to do to maintain his celebrity and money was to keep doing what he was doing: Pocketing a massive paycheck for GB News while regularly travelling to the US where he would have been paid to help support the Trump campaign.
The out of touch newspaper The Sun recently described Kemi, who ran for leader last time but didn’t get enough support to make it down to the final two, as the "darling of the party’s grassroots". Absolute rubbish. I speak to the true blue members of the party every single day and there is still rage at the way Kemi was instrumental in forcing out Boris.
I have spent the past two years ensconced in the grassroots of the party, as a proud supporter of the brilliant CDO, which is leading the charge for Tory power to return to the people, so it’s critical I clear a few things up.
Despite what the media says, Kemi is not even a candidate from the right of the party.
She is the continuity candidate of the centre-left, endorsed by Gove, Dougie Smith and CCHQ. If you’ve read the brilliant Tory expose The Plot by Nadine Dorries, you’ll know exactly the cynical tactics used (if not, I highly recommend the book).
Why, after what is likely to be a historic hammering at the ballot box, would you even think about a continuity candidate?
The Conservative party machine must be blown up. A real small-c conservative needs to be in place to start over again and attempt to align the right via a deal with Reform UK. That is the best hope to take back power in 2029.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST BORIS
Further, Kemi will never be forgiven by the Conservative grassroots for her betrayal of Boris, especially the revelation that she was a key part of a Gove campaign to get other ministers to resign, making his premiership untenable.
Like a school bully, she wrote to assistant government whip Sarah Dines in a Tory WhatsApp group, accompanied by a laughing emoji: “Resign before midnight. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT.”
As CDO President Lord Cruddas said: "It illustrates the betrayal of Boris but above all the betrayal of the 2019 general election result and a complete disregard of the electorate. It shows Kemi’s real character as a person that cannot be trusted."
IDENTITY POLITICS
Badenoch has her strengths. I was inspired by her incredible personal story (she arrived in the UK at 16 from Nigeria and worked at McDonald’s to fund her education) and, until this week, loved the fact she claimed to reject all forms of identity politics.
That’s why it was very disappointing to see Badenoch respond to the vile thespian David Tennant’s call for her to “shut up” over her trans stance with…identity politics. “A rich, lefty, white male celebrity so blinded by ideology he can’t see the optics of attacking the only Black woman in government,” she wrote.
While the Doctor Who’s star attack on Kemi was truly revolting, I couldn’t be more disappointed that, in response, she chose to use being white and male in the pejorative.
Kemi should want to be leader because she is the best candidate, not because she is a black woman, and she should not use her gender and ethnic background to shut down criticism of her either.
STEALING VOTE FROM MEMBERS
If you think I’m writing about the leadership too early, given the results will not be announced for another four days,
it’s all any Conservative MP is talking about. They know they are about to be spanked, Sunak will have to go on Friday morning (his restless wife Akshata Murty will be delighted), and all the attention is turning to what’s next.
Many of the briefings in recent days from the left of the party are risible. Who on earth believes the failed deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden could end up a caretaker leader? That would be a death wish; the guy needs to be banished from politics for being utterly useless.
Chillingly, there are also increased noises about the Tory wets biggest passion project: Stealing the democratic right to elect the leader from the party’s membership.
Such a decision would be the final nail in the coffin of the party, whose members remain utterly furious by the treatment of Boris and Liz Truss, who they selected in a landslide only for MPs to decide they knew better.
As it turned out, they didn’t. Sunak has performed far far worse than either of the former two PMs would have if only the party chiefs hadn’t decided they knew best.
Despite their posturing, trust me, there will be a right wing MP put to members and that candidate will win in a landslide. Penny Mourdant, Grant Shapps, Steve Baker and Tom Tugendhat could end up in the runoff, but have zero chance of securing enough votes from members.
So who does?
Well, there is now a Tory gang of four that the right of the party is coalescing around. It is unlikely all the members of the quartet will win their seats on Thursday, which will play a critical role in determining who ends up being the standard bearer to return the Conservative party to Thatcher values and attempt to do a deal with Farage.
THE REAL RIGHT-WING CONTENDERS TO TAKE OVER THE TORIES
PRITI PATEL
Current favourite because she was the Home Secretary for Boris and has maintained relations with the left of the party. Beloved by members.
ROBERT JENRICK
Has had a Damascene conversion from pro-Sunak moderate to right-wing favourite, but is lobbying hard and picking up a lot of support from MPs.
SUELLA BRAVERMAN
A massive favourite with the Tory membership, she would be guaranteed to win if she makes it onto the ballot, but is less popular with MPs.
JACOB REES-MOGG
There is a lot of movement behind this wild card option, especially after his public call to welcome Farage and Richard Tice into the Tories. Biggest issue is that he is facing a major battle to retain his seat.
They should have heard us before... I don't think Kemi is the answer to their problems either. If Suella could have taken over as PM things would have been different I am sure.
It simply has to be Suella for me. Perhaps with Jacob as a, slightly more diplomatic, supporting act. I agree that Kemi would be a step backward.