Badenoch ‘more worried’ about new pro-Gaza MPs rather than Reform
In her leadership campaign launch at the Institute for Engineering and Technology, the right-wing Tory candidate condemned 'malign and destructive identity politics'
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Kemi Badenoch has claimed she is “far more worried” about independent MPs elected on “sectarian Islamist politics” then she is about those from Reform UK who were successful on July 4.
Launching her campaign to be the next Tory Party leader she said the four pro-Gaza MPs held “alien ideas that have no place here” as she condemned “malign and destructive identity politics”.
“When everyone was talking about the five new MPs from Reform [Nigel Farage’s party], I was far more worried about the five new MPs elected on the back of sectarian Islamist politics, alien ideas that have no place here.
“The sort of politics we need to defeat and defeat quickly,” said Badenoch.
In a launch at the Institute for Engineering and Technology, the right-wing candidate also touched on foreign affairs saying:”“When Taiwan is under threat from China, when Israel is under threat from Iran, when Ukraine is under threat from Russia, we need to ask ourselves if we are ready for this dangerous new world. ”
Badenoch is one of six candidates seeking to become Conservative Party leader, alongside former home secretary James Cleverly, ex home office minister Robert Jenrick, ex home secretary Priti Patel, former work and pensions secretary Mel Stride and former security minister Tom Tugendhat.
At his launch on Monday Cleverly said:”aid: “I don’t accept the shared declinism of Starmer and Farage, who both believe that our best days are behind us.
“Starmer thinks it was better before we left the EU, Farage thinks it was better before we joined the EU… They’re both wrong.”
These six will be whittled down to four in a ballot of MPs on September 9.
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