Kemi Badenoch has labelled speculation of toppling her six-months into the job as "completely ludicrous" and set her one-time leadership rival Robert Jenrick a major task.
In a sit-down interview with GB News, the Leader of the Opposition appeared to suggest she could follow the same trajectory as Sir Keir Starmer's ascent to power.
Badenoch told the People's Channel: "I think it's completely ludicrous to be talking about changing another leader just six months in.
"Four years ago, Keir Starmer had a terrible local election result and look where he is today."
Kemi Badenoch has labelled speculation of toppling her six-months into the job as "completely ludicrous" and set her one-time leadership rival Robert Jenrick a major task
GB News/ Getty
The Prime Minister was close to quitting as Labour leader following a disastrous set of local elections in 2021.
However, following a series of scandals tearing the Tory Party apart, Starmer managed to cement his lead over Rishi Sunak's Conservative.
Badenoch dismissed the current state of the opinion polls, which show Reform and Labour both soaring past the Tories in a knife-edge contest.
The North West Essex MP was also goaded by Starmer about Jenrick's potential ambitions to replace her in a fiery exchange at Prime Minister's Questions last week.
In a sit-down interview with GB News, the Leader of the Opposition appeared to suggest she could follow the same trajectory as Sir Keir Starmer's ascent to power
GB News
Asked by Christopher Hope if Jenrick is already running against her, Badenoch told the People's Channel: "That is not what is going on. I do think that was a very funny joke by Keir Starmer, it's nice to see that once in a while he's got a sense of humour.
"Most of the time he doesn't. But I appointed Rob to be Shadow Justice Secretary. He is doing a great job. He's holding two-tier Keir's feet to the fire on justice. I want him to keep doing that."
Rejecting any suggestion of plotting to depose Badenoch, Jenrick last week said: “Kemi Badenoch and I are on exactly the same page. Kemi has been very clear there won’t be a pact with Reform, and I’ve said time and again that I want to put Reform out of business. I want to send Nigel Farage back to retirement.
"What I want to do, and Kemi feels the same, is bring back those voters that we lost, many of whom we lost to Reform at the last election, and we lost them because we let those people down.
The North West Essex MP was also goaded by Keir Starmer about Robert Jenrick's potential ambitions to replace her in a fiery exchange at Prime Minister's Questions last week
Getty
"I understand that they feel angry and frustrated with the Conservative Party right now. We’re changing that.
"The party is in under new leadership under Kemi Badenoch. Frankly, I think she’s doing a bloody good job in difficult circumstances.
"It’s not easy being leader of the opposition when we’ve just lost our worst ever election defeat. Frankly, I think people should give her a break."
Since losing last year's Tory leadership race by just 12,000 votes, Jenrick has seemingly cemented his position as the darling of the Tory Right after taking a tough stance on "two-tier justice" and support for leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.
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