LONDON — Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch told POLITICO Nigel Farage is “cracking under pressure” after her top right-wing rival triggered a surprise by-election in his Clacton seat.
Speaking to Anne McElvoy at the Playbook Live summit in London, Badenoch, whose once-dominant party is being challenged in the polls by Farage on the right, said of Farage’s move: “What I saw was a man who is cracking under the pressure.”
“He went on telly, having a hissy fit, because for the first time he is finally having to face some scrutiny after a very long honeymoon, and he cannot handle it.”
The Tories lost Clacton on a huge swing to Farage at the 2024 general election, but now face an opportunity to snatch the seaside constituency back.
However, Badenoch repeatedly declined to say if the Tories would stand a candidate, saying only that the party’s plans would be revealed in due course.
“I don’t need to respond to what is one man’s gimmick. This is a gimmick,” the Tory leader said. “It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money. He doesn’t want to follow due process.”
Farage is hoping to turn the contest into an anti-establishment fightback amid a probe into his finances, but he faces the relatively new complication of a second right-wing challenger, Restore Britain.
Badenoch said: “He is a man who is cracking under pressure. That’s why he was shouting at journalists yesterday. And what we have to ask ourselves is, is this someone who can do the top job? He hasn’t become prime minister yet, and he’s already cracking under the pressure.”
