Conservative leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch has said the party has “one chance” to select the right leader and warned that “there’s not going to be a party” if the “wrong” choice is made.
Shadow minister Ms Badenoch is up against Robert Jenrick in the race to succeed Rishi Sunak, with members due to cast their ballots in the coming days.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Ms Badeonoch said the “endless tossing out of leaders” had “damaged the party brand”.
Whoever takes over from Mr Sunak will be the party’s third new leader in just over two years, following on from Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
In an interview with the newspaper, she said: “If we get this wrong, there’s not going to be a party. There’s no second chance. We have one chance to get this right.
“This endless tossing out of leaders as if they’re just disposable has been one of the things that has damaged the party brand.
“People want to see some stability and some certainty. This is not the time for more psychodrama. We need to get serious and I think members are very serious about wanting to pick a leader for the long term, and they are looking very closely at which candidate best represents their views.”
As leader of the opposition, the winning candidate will face off against the Prime Minister regularly, including at the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions.
In her Telegraph interview, Ms Badenoch said that her team would be “Labour’s worst nightmare”.
“I understand them better than they realise. I know where their weak points are. I know that they do not start with principles, or certainly, they don’t have the same principles that we do,” she said.
Ms Badenoch and her competitor Mr Jenrick are expected to continue on the campaign trail on Wednesday. They are vying for the support of Conservative members as the contest for the party’s new leader enters its final weeks.
Mr Jenrick and Ms Badeonoch are due to take part in a leadership event with GB News on Thursday evening, where they are expected to take questions from members.
The final two candidates were confirmed last week after shadow home secretary James Cleverly unexpectedly failed to make it through the final ballot of MPs.
Six MPs initially put their name forward for the contest, but Priti Patel, Mel Stride and Tom Tugendhat also did not make it through the MP ballots alongside Mr Cleverly, leaving Ms Badenoch and Mr Jenrick in the race.
The winner of the contest is due to be announced on November 2.
