Badenoch admits she'll need to be more 'softly softly' as Tory leader

Kemi Badenoch has admitted she will need to adopt a more 'softly softly' approach as Tory leader after being confronted by claims she is rude to colleagues.

The former business secretary is the bookies' favourite to replace Rishi Sunak as Leader of the Opposition when a ballot of party members ends later this week.

She is widely expected to be named the victor over her rival Robert Jenrick when what has become an increasingly bitter contest draws to a close.

But, speaking to the BBC's Newscast podcast, Ms Badenoch insisted the battle between her and Mr Jenrick was still wide-open.

She said she was ramping up her media appearances in her campaign's final days because 'people aren't turning out to vote as much as we would have expected'.

Ms Badenoch added, from conversations with Conservative members at events, she had been told activists were 'going to wait until the last minute' to cast their votes.

Kemi Badenoch 'wary' of saying she wants to be PM 

Kemi Badenoch last night swerved questions about whether she wants to be prime minister.

The Tory leadership frontrunner said she was 'very, very wary' of saying she wants to be in Downing Street.

She told Sky News: 'It's not an award. It's not like winning a competition.

'It's actually a very serious job that requires a lot of sacrifice.

'It changes your life forever. You can't just go back and work in a normal job afterwards.

'It changes the life of your family. So I'm very, very wary of saying, 'well, I want to be PM'.

'You know, I want to be in charge. I think that people need to understand what is the service that you're providing, rather than how can we help you fulfil a personal ambition.'

'I don't know if I will win,' she said. 'The bookies have me ahead, but I think it's actually neck-and-neck. Robert could win. Anyone could win. Either of us could win.'

The 44-year-old was challenged about claims from Tory MPs, including some of her own supporters, that she is rude to others and upsets people.

'I don't think I'm being rude,' she replied. 'I just think I'm saying something that I wouldn't mind hearing back. So I treat people how I treat myself.'

She added: 'But I have to be mindful that I have a higher tolerance for things than than others.

'And I think part of being a leader is being able to calibrate so that you can help manage other people.'

Asked if she would have to take a more 'softly softly' approach if she leads the Consevatives, Ms Badenoch said: 'Yes, but that's fine. I'm not perfect, you know.

'I've never said that I was perfect. We keep wanting people who will give the perfect interview and have the perfect policies, who look perfect. There's nobody like that.

'Everybody's coming with pluses and minuses. And what this leadership contest is about is not a general election or, you know, who's got the nicest manifesto.

'It's what kind of person do you want as leader? And I think Robert and I probably don't disagree on very much, but we are very different people.

'And it's a choice of what kind of person do you think would be best to lead?'