SUELLA Braverman and Kemi Badenoch are engaging in a bitter public spat as recriminations begin over the party's disastrous performance in the General Election.
The Tory MPs are arguing after conversations from Rishi Sunak's first shadow cabinet meeting following the election were leaked to the media.
During the meeting, Badenoch reportedly criticised Sunak's decision to call the General Election without first informing his cabinet and blasted his leaving of D-Day commemorations early as "disastrous".
I’d be interested in knowing whether Kemi thinks I’m having a “very public nervous breakdown”. #honesty #unity #wedontleak https://t.co/g4x9CLzAgR
— Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) July 10, 2024
She also claimed that Braverman was having a "very public nervous breakdown" after the former Home Secretary blamed the Progress pride flag and "liberal conservatives" for the party's defeat during a speech in Washington.
Appearing to confirm the veracity of the reports, Badenoch said on Twitter/X that it was a "shame" the conversation had been leaked.
“It’s a shame our discussions in shadow cabinet were leaked yesterday," she said.
"If there is no private space to discuss our party’s challenges, we will never fully address what the electorate told us last week.
“The views of those outside these meetings matter too. Not just backbench MPs, but our party activists, members and friends who lost seats after giving everything to the campaign.
“In government, we had too much nodding along in the room and arguments outside it. That culture needs to change. We need to be honest with one another in private, and united in the direction we take afterwards.”
Braverman's speech in Washington has been widely described as being anti-LGBT after she claimed the Progress pride flag – which represents equality for LGBT+ people – was "monstrous" and signified the "mutilation of children in our hospitals".
This is despite the fact that the minimum age for receiving gender reassignment surgery in the UK is 18 years old.
Braverman stood by her speech and claimed "liberals" were having a "meltdown".
She then took to Twitter/X to respond to Badenoch's comments about the leak.
She said: "I’d be interested in knowing whether Kemi thinks I’m having a 'very public nervous breakdown'. #honesty #unity #wedontleak".
The row came just hours after shadow home secretary James Cleverly called for the party to unite as he warned against “bitter infighting”.
