Kemi Badenoch vows: 'This rubbish must STOP' as hospitals and universities shun King's portrait

"All of this rubbish needs to stop," she told GB News' Chopper's Political Podcast.

Mrs Badenoch added: "We should not be afraid of the word 'patriotism'. It's important."

Under the voluntary programme – called His Majesty's Portrait Scheme – 20,500 portraits of the King were sent to public bodies across the UK from November 2023 to August 2024, costing £2.7million.

In all, take-up among all eligible public bodies was just 30.6 per cent, with just 2.8 per cent of hospitals and 7.4 per cent of universities asking for a free portrait of Charles III.

The portrait proved more popular among schools – where 29.1 per cent signed up to the scheme – Church of England churches – 25.5 per cent – and Coroner's Courts – 100 per cent.

Asked about the findings on GB News' Chopper's Political Podcast, Mrs Badenoch said managers were overly worried about people who might be offended by an image of the King.

She said: "There are many people who worry about things they don't need to be worried about.

"Somebody might be offended. So let's not let's not do that.

"The fact is, we are a constitutional monarchy."

Mrs Badenoch added: "The King is the best of our brand. The Royal Family is the best of our brand.

"People look at them in awe. I think that they do so much good in this country.

"I'm very glad that it is the King and not Keir Starmer who is Head of State, quite frankly.

"And that's something that we should be proud of. But we keep being told 'let's keep this repressed, that we might upset some people.

"'Someone's worried about colonialism, someone's worried about racism or white privilege.

"All of this rubbish needs to stop. And you get people who think, well, I don't want to have a row, so I won't have a portrait of the King."

Mrs Badenoch – who has one of the portraits on her office wall – said she was going to check that every Conservative council had signed up to the scheme.

Mrs Badenoch continued: "If you don't treasure your values, if you don't enforce limits, if you don't say know, that's not good enough, then things get watered down.

"And the Conservative Party, which I'm leading, is one where I want us to be brave and proud and, you know, stand up for those values."

A spokesman for the Cabinet Office said: "His Majesty The King’s Portrait Scheme was a voluntary programme offering a free, framed portrait to any eligible public institution that requested one.

"Under the scheme, more than 20,500 portraits were given out across the United Kingdom to celebrate the new reign.

"Portraits of HM The King hang in Government departments across Whitehall and in Downing Street."

Cabinet Office sources said that some organisations were under no obligation to request the portrait, adding that some may already have a portrait of the Monarch, which would not be included in these numbers.