Kemi Badenoch, the current leader of the Conservative Party, has publicly denounced supporters of fellow party member Robert Jenrick, who are advocating for his potential leadership bid to replace her. 

In a recent statement, Badenoch referred to these supporters as "sore losers" and suggested that some of her detractors attribute her leadership role to positive discrimination rather than merit. 

She emphasized that such perceptions are indicative of an inability to accept her success, stating, "There's a certain cadre of people who clearly can't cope with the fact that I won this and I'm doing it."

Badenoch pointed out that the criticism she faces often pertains to her race and ethnicity, with claims that she is a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hire. She remarked, "The level of personal attacks from anonymous people, it’s hysterical. 

Not even just from MPs. I actually don’t think there are that many MPs. I think it’s two to three people out of 120. That’s nothing. But online as well."

She drew a parallel between the criticism she faces and a phenomenon she described as "Kemi derangement syndrome," paralleling certain comments made in the political landscape surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump. Badenoch stated, "How could she possibly have done this? It must have been DEI."

Despite her leadership, the Conservative Party has struggled to regain popularity, currently trailing behind the Labour Party and Reform UK in opinion polls. Badenoch acknowledged the challenges faced by her party, noting, "People are angry because of things that Labour is doing and they are angry because they think that we left the country in a bad state." 

She laid out the difficulties she faces in comparison to previous party leaders, highlighting, "We’ve got fewer MPs, and we’ve got this new problem with Reform taking a lot of our votes."

In her remarks, Badenoch also criticized Nigel Farage, labeling him a "bulls*** artist," and made assertions about the goals of Reform UK, arguing that the party aims to "just about pulling this down and destroying things." 

According to recent YouGov findings, 28 percent of the public would vote for Reform UK in the next general election, placing them ahead of the Conservative Party, which currently has 18 percent support, compared to Labour's 21 percent.

The declining support for the Conservatives is notable, with the party's polling indicating a drop from 22 percent in January to just 18 percent as of August 2023, illustrating the ongoing challenges within the party as it navigates the political landscape.