Conservative leadership favorite Kemi Badenoch There are fears she may be the victim of dirty tricks from Whitehall in an attempt to eliminate her from the race.
The former Commerce Secretary and bookies’ favorite to succeed him Rishi Sunak warned last weekend that she was prepared to publish a so-called “dirty dossier” to try to undermine her campaign.
And so, last week, The Guardian, the in-house magazine of… Labor Partyhas published two negative articles about the mother of three, which it claims have been briefed by “high-level sources” at the Department of Business and Trade (DBT), which she led as Secretary of State for 17 months until choice.
But, as the Mail can reveal, an official statement that had been prepared, absolving the 44-year-old MP for north-west Essex of any abuse of the ministerial code, mysteriously failed to see the light of day.
Questions are now being asked as to why. Has he already made Labour nervous?
There are fears that Tory leadership favourite Kemi Badenoch may be the victim of dirty tricks from Whitehall in an attempt to eliminate her from the race.
The Guardian’s first article claimed that as Business Secretary, Ms Badenoch created an “intimidating” atmosphere that was so “toxic” that three senior civil servants felt ostracised by her “bullying and traumatising” behaviour.
Two days later, she was back in the dock, accused of asking officials to pay for a flight to Dallas to join her family on vacation from Mexico, where she was representing the government on an official mission.
The flight to Dallas would have cost the taxpayer less than the return flight to London from Mexico. The request was blocked.
The same article accuses Mrs Badenoch of asking her taxpayer-funded Tory special advisers (the new government has similarly funded Labour advisers) to pack her suitcase for foreign trips and buy gifts for family and friends.
The source also said that she ordered the driver of her ministerial car to take her to the gym twice a week before starting work.
Both articles were written by Pippa Crerar, the Guardian’s political editor who wrote a series of articles on “Partygate” that helped bring down Boris Johnson when she was at the Daily Mirror.
Both articles were written by Pippa Crerar, the Guardian’s political editor who wrote a series of articles on ‘Partygate’ that helped bring down Boris Johnson when she was at the Daily Mirror.
In the latest ranking of the Conservative Party’s favourite cabinet ministers to take over the party, Ms Badenoch enjoyed a commanding lead over the other candidates.
In response to the Guardian’s second story, the DBT prepared a statement absolving its former minister.
The statement was approved by Gareth Davies, the department’s most senior civil servant, and shared, as a courtesy, with Ms Badenoch before it was sent to Number 10 for approval.
The statement, a copy of which was sent to the Mail, said: “There was no breach of the ministerial code by the previous Secretary of State.
The ministerial code is clear that ministers can use cars for work, for official travel, when they use time in the car for work and when there is a security concern.
‘Ministers regularly consult their Permanent Secretary/private office for advice on what is appropriate within the ministerial code so that the proper process is followed, as was the case here.
Private offices sometimes support ministers with ad hoc personal requests, especially when there are urgent official matters. And so the former McDonald’s employee, as she prides herself on being, was cleared of all suspicion.
But that wording never made it into the public domain, with a second statement instead provided to the Guardian which said: “The department takes both the ministerial code and the civil service code seriously, to ensure they are complied with at all times.
Tom Tugendhat, the former security minister, was next in the league table, but some 30 points behind the leader.
Former Home Secretary James Cleverley was 43 points behind
“The ministerial code clearly states that ministers can use their vehicles for work, official travel and where there is a security concern. It is normal for permanent secretaries to advise what is appropriate within the ministerial code so that the proper process is followed.”
The Conservatives suspect something is amiss. Why does the new statement no longer convey the important message that Badenoch has not breached the ministerial code?
Did anyone in Number 10 intervene? Or in the powerful Cabinet, where the head of strategic communications is Tom Whitehead, who is married to Ms Crerar, who wrote both articles?
Questions from the Mail have not received a satisfactory response. The Cabinet insists that it is a matter for the DBT. “It is their statement,” said a spokesman.
A DBT spokesman said: “The department provided an objective response in the usual way.” When questioned about why the statement was amended and by whom, the spokesman said: “We have nothing to add beyond the statement provided to them this afternoon.”
In the latest Conservative Party league table for ministers favoured to take over the party, Ms Badenoch enjoyed a commanding lead over the other candidates.
Next in the standings was Tom Tugendhat, the former Home Secretary, but some 30 points behind the leader. Former Home Secretary James Cleverley was 43 points behind.
Lord Mandelson, one of the architects of New Labour, wrote in The Spectator that he had seen Badenoch at an official dinner: “He is not afraid to speak his mind (although an occasional filter might be useful) or to denounce the kind of ‘promotion’ that many voters dislike.”
