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Kemi: Farage is a ‘bullshitter’

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What a week it has been in British politics. After the welfare rebellion on Tuesday and then the shambles of PMQs on Wednesday, life in CCHQ must now seem a little easier. This week, it was the turn of Kemi Badenoch to address the Conservative Group dinner at the Local Government Association annual conference. And the Tory leader delivered a rather risqué line about Reform, according to a recording sent to Mr S. Badenoch told her audience on Wednesday that:

Sometimes it’s really challenging when we have opponents to the left and the right of us promising people things that we know that they can never do. And a man sent me an email the other day. He said that “There are liars in politics and that there are bullshitters.” And you need to understand the difference between a liar and a bullshitter. And a liar will tell you something that is definitely not true. That’s where Keir Starmer fits in. Every week at PMQs, he stands up and talks about how business confidence is great, the economy is going gangbusters and all is fine. Nigel Farage is a bullshitter, a bullshitter. The difference between liars and bullshit is that bullshitters don’t care whether what they’re saying is true or false. They just say whatever. We are not liars and we don’t do bullshit. We tell the truth. That is what my leadership is about.

Talk about blue-on-blue language – but the attendant crowd roared with laughter and lapped it up. Badenoch went on to say that ‘Reform are not a right wing party. They are not on the centre-right. They want more nationalisation. They want more benefits. They want to lift the two child benefit cap.’ Looks like any talk of a deal is out while Kemi is around…

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Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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