Trade secretary Kemi Badenoch has insisted that the party “works very well together” despite reports of an internal plot to oust Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Badenoch said reports of Conservative plots against Rishi Sunak are orchestrations of just “one or two” MPs, and the party needs to unite before May’s local elections.
Also, during a heated media session, Badenoch asserted that the Conservative Party wasn’t obliged to refund £10 million in contributions from Frank Hester.
She dismissed ongoing media scrutiny over Hester’s controversial remarks about Diane Abbott, which had drawn widespread condemnation for being racist and misogynistic.
When asked if the party should refuse donations from Hester, Badenoch said “I’m actually quite surprised that people suggest this.”
“This was something that happened five years ago,” Badenoch added. “He wasn’t talking to Diane Abbott. It wasn’t even really about Diane Abbott. He used her in a reference that was completely unacceptable. He’s apologized for it.”
After Hester’s comments came to light, he released a statement saying he “accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbott in a private meeting several years ago but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor color of skin”.
The statement said Hester resented racism, “not least because he experienced it as the child of Irish immigrants in the 1970s”.
Aside from the £10m already donated, Hester has reportedly offered the party another £5m, which means his donations alone are worth almost as much as the Conservatives spent in the entire 2019 election campaign.
Moreover, Badenoch also brushed aside recent reports circulating over the weekend and on Monday, March 18 regarding alleged plots among certain Conservative MPs to oust Sunak from his position.
She said “There will be some people who are unhappy. I’m not going to deny that, but we need to move away from the scenario where one or two people can create all the news and 300 others can’t get a word.”
“At this particular time, it’s really important that we remember there are thousands of councilors all around the country who are going to be standing for election in May. We need people to focus on what they’ve been doing to help their local communities, and not be obsessed with Westminster psychodrama.”
Badenoch Stands Firm on Donations
Following Hester’s controversial comments last week, Downing Street initially condemned them as wrong, stopping short of labeling them as racist until more than 24 hours later.
Downing Street’s declaration coincided with Badenoch becoming the first cabinet minister to characterize the comments as racist.
When questioned about her decision to do so, Badenoch highlighted the significance of the issue, particularly given that it targeted a black woman, a demographic she uniquely represents in the cabinet.
However, when pressed on whether it was problematic for the Conservative Party to accept donations from Hester, who had also made derogatory remarks about Diane Abbott, Badenoch expressed surprise at continued inquiries into the matter.
“The only reason why it’s still dominating the front page is because you are not interested in the work that government is doing,” she said.
“You are interested in a story from last week, which has been apologized for, and everyone has moved on.”
When quizzed again about whether the Conservative Party should decline further contributions from Hester, a prominent IT entrepreneur, Badenoch indicated that such action wasn’t necessary at present.
However, she implied that this stance could be subject to change if Hester were to make another controversial remark in the future. She stated, “Obviously, if something else happens in the future, that might be something that we reconsider.”
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