Kemi Badenoch faced criticism after making a significant error regarding Brexit during a recent television interview, casting doubt on her assertion that she never makes mistakes. The Conservative Party leader incorrectly stated that Northern Ireland had voted to leave the EU while speaking with BBC News NI, despite the fact that the region had actually voted to remain in the 2016 referendum by a 56% to 44% majority. Upon being corrected, Badenoch acknowledged the error and emphasized that efforts had been made to address the concerns of Northern Ireland in the aftermath of the vote.
In a subsequent exchange, Badenoch clarified that while Scotland and many in Northern Ireland had voted to remain, Wales and England had voted to leave, resulting in an overall UK majority in favor of leaving the EU. These remarks come as the Conservative Party gears up for its annual conference in Manchester, set to begin on Sunday. Badenoch is facing mounting pressure following a challenging year, compounded by the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform party among right-wing voters.
Following the blunder, social media users resurfaced a clip from a previous interview in which Badenoch had expressed confidence in her communication skills, stating that she avoids gaffes by carefully considering her words. However, recent polling by YouGov revealed that a significant portion of voters harbor doubts about the future of the Conservative Party, with 45% rating Badenoch’s leadership performance negatively.
In response to questions about the party’s direction and potential challenges from other political factions, Badenoch maintained that the Conservative Party remains the best choice for all four nations of the UK under her leadership. She emphasized the importance of scrutinizing the actions of the current Labour government and reiterated her commitment to steering the Conservative Party in a new direction.
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