The Conservatives’ annual conference is “buzzing,” Kemi Badenoch has insisted, after she faced ridicule over empty seats in the main hall, reports BritPanorama.
Questioned about jokes regarding attendance made by political opponents and commentators, including Jeremy Clarkson, the Opposition leader stated: “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
Mr Clarkson appeared onstage as a surprise guest at the conference in Birmingham on Monday, where he quipped that “a lot of people have come dressed as seats.”
Labour later shared a screenshot on social media depicting a sparsely attended main hall at the start of a speech by shadow education secretary Laura Trott, captioning it with: “People disguised as chairs latest.”
When asked if Mr Clarkson’s observation had been embarrassing, Ms Badenoch responded on Channel 5 News: “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. This conference is buzzing.
“We have many more people than last year. I saw Jeremy Clarkson, I saw Jeremy Clarkson’s event – people were standing up, you could barely see him. There were loud cheers. I was at a Young Conservatives event last night where you could barely get in. It was absolutely heaving. So maybe you should go to where the people are. I know the media always wants to talk about how quiet the conference is, we’re actually having a great conference.”
In a rally speech on Sunday, Ms Badenoch asserted that the Conservatives “will win” the next general election.
She is attempting to reverse the party’s fortunes following its worst ever electoral defeat in 2024, with Labour leading recent opinion polls despite an increase in her personal approval ratings.
On Tuesday, the Tory leader remarked that she was “working on fixing the brand and that means going back to our core principles.”
“What we’ve seen is that we’re in an era of multi-party politics. We had a government that came in with a landslide and the prime minister is out. Politics is volatile. What I’m showing is that this Conservative Party is different from the one people said no thanks to in 2024. I know that people are warming towards me.
“I now need to show them that the Conservative Party is a different party. I’m working on fixing the brand and that means going back to our core principles.”
