Kemi Badenoch faced criticism for an error made during a recent television interview related to Brexit, contradicting her claim of never committing gaffes. In the interview with BBC News NI, the Conservative leader mistakenly stated that Northern Ireland had voted to leave the EU. However, the factual outcome was that Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU in 2016 by a 56% to 44% majority. Following the correction, Badenoch acknowledged the mistake and emphasized the efforts made to address the preferences of Northern Ireland.
In subsequent responses, Badenoch clarified that while Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain, Wales and England voted to leave, resulting in the overall decision for the UK to exit the EU. This incident occurred just before the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, starting on Sunday, amidst growing pressure on Badenoch due to challenges faced by the party, including competition from Nigel Farage’s Reform party.
Social media users highlighted a previous statement by Badenoch where she claimed to avoid gaffes by carefully considering her words. However, recent polling by YouGov revealed concerns among voters, with one-fifth believing the Tories may lose their significance in the next decade, and nearly half expressing dissatisfaction with Badenoch’s leadership.
In response to questions about potential leadership threats, Badenoch dismissed concerns about Nigel Farage and emphasized the Conservative Party’s commitment to serving all four nations of the UK under her new leadership. She emphasized the need to focus on scrutinizing the actions of the current Labour government rather than dwelling on past Conservative policies.