Kemi Badenoch has been accused of stirring up a tradition struggle after claiming 5-10% of civil servants are “very bad” and “should be in prison”.
The Tory management hopeful claimed at a celebration convention fringe occasion on Tuesday that some civil servants have been “leaking official secrets” and “undermining ministers”.
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She confronted a right away backlash from Dave Penman, common secretary of the FDA union that represents civil servants, who mentioned that if she had any proof to again up the accusations “then action would have been taken”.
Ms Badenoch made the remarks throughout an occasion hosted by the Spectator journal, when she was requested for her views on limiting the variety of civil servants.
She mentioned they “are like everybody else, they come in to do a job” and “about 10% of them are absolutely magnificent”.
She added: “There’s about 5 to 10% of them who are very, very bad, you know… should be in prison bad. Leaking, you know, leaking official secrets, you know, undermining their ministers… agitating.”
She went on: “I had a few of it in my division, often union-led.
“But most of them actually want to do a good job, and the good ones are very frustrated by the bad ones.”
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As of March 2024, there have been 510,665 full-time civil servants, so 5% can be round 25,000 folks.
Mr Penman mentioned Mr Badenoch had made “serious accusations” and will withdraw them until she may produce proof.
He posted on X: “As a former secretary of state, if Badenoch had actual evidence to back up any of these serious accusations against civil servants, then action would have been taken. Otherwise she herself would be culpable. So usual irresponsible culture war then. Rinse and repeat.”
In one other publish, he added: “If she has evidence to back up those claims she should publish it, otherwise withdraw.”
Ms Badenoch is vying for the Conservative management alongside Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat.
She has made a advantage out of being a straight talker, saying the general public need sincere politicians and he or she will not be afraid to upset folks.
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Tory management contenders. Pic: PA
She confronted criticism earlier in the course of the convention for having recommended the present degree of maternity pay is “excessive”.
The shadow housing secretary claimed her feedback have been “misrepresented” and he or she was speaking about extreme enterprise regulation quite than the extent of the profit, which she mentioned “was a good thing”.
Ms Badenoch is well-liked with the Tory membership and the present frontrunner to succeed Mr Sunak after the July common election defeat.
