The Conservative Party under Kemi Badenoch

[styles]

I mean, everything sucks here right?

Somebody in the cadet force or wherever she was at was stupid enough to give her a rifle, loaded or not, and not give clear instructions on handling it - namely, don't point it at your own military personnel.

Somebody in her PR team has messed up by actually allowing a photo to be snapped of the leader of the opposition pointing a gun at a member of our own armed forces. It's awful PR.

Badenoch is also clearly incompetent. If you're the leader of the opposition, you shouldn't really need to be told not to point guns at people (unless you actually want/need to shoot them).

As Malcolm Tucker would say, it's an omnishambles.

 

[Gloster]

Metaphorically, it ought to be pointing at her foot.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Somebody in the cadet force or wherever she was at was stupid enough to give her a rifle, loaded or not, and not give clear instructions on handling it - namely, don't point it at your own military personne

How do you know she wasn’t given clear instructions and either forgot them or thought to hell with them?

 

[Harpo]

Metaphorically, it ought to be pointing at her foot.

An alternative cover for Private Eye.

 

[edwin_m]

a weapon must never be pointed at anyone in any circumstances.

Shome mistake shurely?

 

[AlterEgo]

How do you know she wasn’t given clear instructions and either forgot them or thought to hell with them?

Because there are about half a dozen photos of her doing it over a period of time; any of the staff there should have intervened immediately even if they believed the weapon was unloaded. It's weapon safety 101.

 

[dangie]

……namely, don't point it at your own military personnel.

If she’s as good at aiming a rifle as she is at being a politician, the soldier was probably in the safest position

 

[Bald Rick]

Badenoch is now so desperate for support she appears to be asking for it at gunpoint:

Kemi Badenoch ‘broke Army cadet rules’ with assault rifle photo shoot

The Tory leader is in hot water as she's accused of recklessly using a firearm on a visit to a cadet base.

www.express.co.uk

I wouldn't normally cite the Daily Express, but it says something that they'll report this incident in this way despite being a right wing outlet.

It‘s all ok.

You can’t see their feet.

She is very small and close to the camera.

He is very large and far away.

She is aiming at a point roughly 20 metres to his right.

 

[Harpo]

He is very large and far away.

The Father Ted principle. (Dougal’s still none the wiser.)

 

[brad465]

"Cash for Questions 2"

MP refers himself to commissioner over 'cash for questions' claims

Leaked emails purport to show George Freeman asking a firm that employed him what questions he should ask ministers.

www.bbc.co.uk

A Conservative MP has referred himself to the standards commissioner after it was claimed a company that he worked for helped him write questions to government.
George Freeman asked the director at environmental monitoring company GHGSat "what to ask about" when submitting questions about the sector the firm operates in, the Sunday Times reported., external
Freeman was previously advised by a government committee not to lobby the government on behalf of the firm due to his previous role as science minister.
The Mid Norfolk MP said in a statement to the BBC that he doesn't believe he did anything wrong, while his party said it would be "inappropriate" to comment while inquiries were ongoing.
The Sunday Times reported that Freeman asked the company's director what to ask about as he prepared written parliamentary questions to Labour ministers related to space data and emissions tracking.
In another email, he allegedly asked if the company could help him "get the wording right", which he could then "convert into parliamentary language".

Freeman served as science minister under both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, and now sits on the science, innovation and technology committee.

He took up the advisor role at GHGSat in April 2024, with the MP's register of interests stating he received a monthly salary of £5,000 for eight hours work per month, before leaving the role in March this year.

After he notified appointments watchdog Acoba, external about the role, it advised him there were "risks associated with your influence and network of contacts gained whilst in ministerial office".

The watchdog said the company "is interested in government policy and decisions relating to the civil space sector and emissions".

It said Freeman "should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK government" on behalf of GHGSat, and that "you noted you have made it clear to the company that you will not lobby government on its behalf, and this will not form part of your role".

 

[Bald Rick]

Badenoch is now so desperate for support she appears to be asking for it at gunpoint:

Kemi Badenoch ‘broke Army cadet rules’ with assault rifle photo shoot

The Tory leader is in hot water as she's accused of recklessly using a firearm on a visit to a cadet base.

www.express.co.uk

I wouldn't normally cite the Daily Express, but it says something that they'll report this incident in this way despite being a right wing outlet.

I wonder if this is the cover of next Private Eye.

Not the cover, but a small part of page 13

Metaphorically, it ought to be pointing at her foot.

Lord Gnome evidently reads this forum though, as that is the joke he went with!

 

[dangie]

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch is set to reshuffle her top team of shadow ministers later today.

Should she maybe start with the question…. ‘Right you lot, who wants to be leader…?’

James Cleverly gets new role as Kemi Badenoch reshuffles top team

The former foreign secretary becomes shadow housing secretary and will face Angela Rayner in Parliament.

www.bbc.co.uk

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has made Sir James Cleverly her shadow housing secretary as part of a reshuffle of her senior team.

The new role will see the former foreign and home secretary go head-to-head with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner in Parliament...

 

[Harpo]

Kemi Badenoch is set to reshuffle her top team

Think I’ve spotted the oxymoron.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Ah, its another of those days where I find myself shaking my head at how the likes of Cleverly can get knighted

 

[DarloRich]

Are there enough Tories to have a reshuffle?

Is Jenrick going to get the boot?

 

[Gloster]

Are there enough Tories to have a reshuffle?

Is Jenrick going to get the boot?

With Jenrick Badenoch has to decide whether she is going to have him inside passing out or outside passing in. Although he would probably have a go at both.

 

[nr758123]

Ah, its another of those days where I find myself shaking my head at how the likes of Cleverly can get knighted

They must give them away in cereal packets these days.

 

[jfollows]

With Jenrick Badenoch has to decide whether she is going to have him inside passing out or outside passing in. Although he would probably have a go at both.

Did the forum auto-correct you there?

 

[Gloster]

Did the forum auto-correct you there?

No, I self-corrected first.

 

[nr758123]

With Jenrick Badenoch has to decide whether she is going to have him inside passing out or outside passing in. Although he would probably have a go at both.

Maybe she is afraid that if she sacks him he will go off to join the Nigel Farage Personality Cult Party plc?

 

[Acfb]

Maybe she is afraid that if she sacks him he will go off to join the Nigel Farage Personality Cult Party plc?

That's not going to happen now. If Labour hangs on next time, he probably has a decent shot at becoming PM in 2034 even if some kind of Tory-Reform merger is required.

Suella Braverman is clearly not going to join Reform now either.

 

[DarloRich]

With Jenrick Badenoch has to decide whether she is going to have him inside passing out or outside passing in. Although he would probably have a go at both.

I would withdraw the whip and dare him to join Reform.

That's not going to happen now. If Labour hangs on next time,

Why not? Can you expand?

 

[Acfb]

Why not? Can you expand?

The Conservatives don't look likely to lose Newark now (even if they are reduced further to 50-100 seats next time) so I think he'll stick around in the Conservatives (being a big fish in a small pond).

He is a complete charlatan but he knows how to get media attention like Farage and he can do that most effectively in the Conservatives.

I've been talking to an ex Tory voter who is acquainted with Alex Burghart and he seems resigned to Jenrick becoming leader although he's more likely to vote LD again now regardless of whether Badenoch survives or not.

 

[nr758123]

The Conservatives don't look likely to lose Newark now

Is there an anagram in there somewhere?

 

[SuspectUsual]

Is there an anagram in there somewhere?

Yes, likely is an anagram of Ilkley, and the MP for there is a Tory called Robbie Moore, and he's an absolute Newark as well

 

[KevinBrum12]

From The Torygraph (and behind their paywall)...

Penny Mordaunt planning comeback to save Tories from Reform​

Former leader of the Commons is a ‘foot soldier’ ready to return and help Kemi Badenoch take on Nigel Farage’s party.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politic...planning-comeback-to-save-tories-from-reform/

This sounds like a Tory equivalent to the plan hatched by some Labour MP's to get Andy Burnham back into Westminster for a leadership challenge to be mounted against Starmer. As with the Burnham scheme though, there are two problems.

1. A Tory MP with a safe seat has got to fall on Mourdaunts sword.

2, As was discussed about the Tory-Reform defector Danny Kruger in Middle England there is probably no such thing as a "safe" Tory seat. If there was a by-election in Devizes tomorrow it is likely the Lib Dems would win it. The same would be true in the Devon seats if the likes of Sir Geoffrey Cox (Torridge and Tavistock), Rebecca Smith (NW Devon) or even Mel Stride (Central Devon) could be persuaded to stand down to get Penny in and Kemi out by the next General Election.

 

[Harpo]

Penny Mordaunt planning comeback to save Tories from Reform​

As much charisma as Theresa May judging by her past efforts.

 

[brad465]

1. A Tory MP with a safe seat has got to fall on Mordaunt's sword.

I see what you did there

 

[nw1]

Talking of comebacks, how would the population react to a Boris comeback now?

I get the impression that many on the populist right still love him: assuming there was a by-election sometime soon, could he boost the Tories' fortunes and even cause them to win?

I am not a fan of Boris (at all!) but... Boris seems a lot more likeable than Farage, and of course more moderate, so if it was a head-to-head between those two, I can see Boris winning.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Sep 2025 ==

As much charisma as Theresa May judging by her past efforts.

Mordaunt always seemed potentially like a strong leader to me and, of all the candidates, was in my eyes the most likely to produce a Tory win in 2024.

As a non-Tory and anti-Brexiter I don't generally align with her politics, though she does seem to have some good points. Liberal on LGBTQ+ issues, I believe.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Boris seems a lot more likeable than Farage

He just hides his nastiness and greed behind a veneer of bumbling idiot