Former business secretary Kemi Badenoch, the front-runner in the race to succeed Rishi Sunak as Conservative leader, has denounced what she describes as “repeated newspaper hit jobs.”
In the past week, Badenoch has faced a series of front-page stories based on anonymous testimonies from civil servants accusing her of “bullying and traumatising” behavior during her 17-month tenure at the Department for Business and Trade before the Conservatives lost the general election in early July.
Additional reports claim she misused public funds, allegations she vehemently denies.
“This is happening because some people are worried about my candidacy,” Badenoch told The Telegraph.
She criticised The Guardian, the newspaper behind these stories, accusing it of a long-standing bias against her.
“The paper running these stories has written nasty article after nasty article about me from the minute I was elected.
“That’s because I don’t share their worldview and the idea that I might become a party leader threatens them.”
Since becoming the MP for Saffron Walden in 2017, Badenoch has built a reputation for speaking her mind and engaging in controversial debates.
“I’ve been very robust on what I think on race, for instance – namely that I don’t believe the UK is a racist country,” she said.
She has also been gender-critical and has regularly pushed back against trans self-identification.
Badenoch has published on social media a message sent by a Guardian journalist to civil servants, urging them to provide anonymous testimony critical of her.
She added: “Many civil servants gave contrary views about me – yet The Guardian refuses to publish them. The reality is I hate so-called identity politics – and The Guardian loves it.”
Despite the controversy, Badenoch remains the most popular choice among Conservative party members and the bookies’ favourite to become the next Tory leader.
The contest, which began in July, is set to conclude in early November.
The Tories, who won 365 seats under Boris Johnson in 2019, now have just 121 MPs, their lowest ever total. Badenoch’s supporters see her as a refreshing change from what they consider bland politicians and the perceived abandonment of genuine Conservatism under Sunak.
Her detractors, however, view her as accident-prone and unpredictable, a divisive figure at a time when the Tories need unity.
Express.co.uk has contacted the Guardian for comment.