Kemi Badenoch reprimanded Tom Tugendhat’s criticized Boris Johnson’s government in an astonishing exchange during the Conservative Party’s live debate tonight. Ms Badenoch said she was “not ashamed of everything we did” when she was a minister in Mr Johnson’s government. Ms Badenoch argued that Mr Tugendhat has not been on the front lines of policy decisions.
Responding to criticism from her rival candidate, she said: “We have a lot to be proud of.
“We did Brexit and what the Prime Minister did with Ukraine and with vaccines was fantastic.
“Serving in government is not easy. It requires making difficult decisions.
“Tom has never done that. It’s very easy for him to criticize what we’ve done if he hasn’t been in government.”
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She added: “But we have been on the front lines defending the case.”
Mr Tugendhat is the only candidate in the Conservative Party’s ongoing leadership race who has not held a leadership role in government.
He hit back by pointing to his military record on the front lines, including his service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The MP also claimed he has been at the forefront of policy debates “in the argument against Putin and China”.
She replied bluntly, “You haven’t made any decisions yet. Talking is easy.”
In her closing statement, Ms Badenoch said she stands up to becoming Prime Minister to create “a strong UK that is confident” for her three children.
On Brexit, Kemi Badenoch said: “It is time to move forward with Brexit. It’s time to take advantage of the opportunities.