Kemi Badenoch has been slammed for her “silly” and “sniping” attack on Reform UK defector Robert Jenrick.

Speaking to GB News, broadcaster Carole Malone hit out at the Tory leader’s remarks made in her speech earlier this week, branding them “stupid”.

Mrs Badenoch used the press conference as an opportunity to bash the three Reform UK defectors, branding them “drama queens”.

Directly attacking Mrs Braverman, Mr Jenrick, and Mr Zahawi she swiped: “To those who are defecting, who don’t actually disagree with our policies, I will say, I’m sorry you didn’t win the leadership contest.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get a job in the Shadow Cabinet. I’m sorry you didn’t get into the Lords. But you are not offering a plan to fix this country. This is a tantrum dressed up as politics.”

Delivering her verdict on Mrs Badenoch’s jibe, Ms Malone told GB News: “She actually said that the defectors were like tantrum children, which I think this is really stupid thing to say.

“Because she’s not tackling the reasons why they left the party and went across to Reform in the first place. She’s just making them out to be kids.”

Defending Mr Jenrick in particular, Ms Malone highlighted the impact of his departure on the Tory party: “And I’m telling you, since Robert Jenrick’s gone, what Tory voice are you hearing?

“Apart from Kemi’s, no one’s saying anything about anything.”

Arguing that the Tories have “let themselves down” in recent weeks, the broadcaster told GB News: “The reference to Suella’s mental health was a really low blow.

“She also said ‘I’m sorry to the people who didn’t win the leadership contest’, a dig at Jenrick, ‘I’m sorry you didn’t get a job in the cabinet’, a dig to Suella. That’s just silliness.

“And the reason that they’re going across is because they don’t want to be in the Tory party. And she’s just saying that it’s not the centre ground that matters, it’s common ground.

“She’s not getting the fact that the reason people didn’t vote for the Tories in the last election, they got slaughtered because the electorate felt they had no common ground with the Tories, which is why they left.”

Defending Mr Jenrick further, Ms Malone said: “So I think that that speech is really silly. She’s not addressing why people left, she’s actually just saying get lost, you’re all dead wood.

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“They’re not dead wood. Robert Jenrick, you might love him or loathe him, but he is not dead wood. He’s an effective minister and and he’s an experienced minister.”

She also argued that experienced ministers is what Reform UK needs ahead of the election: “And the people that are going across are people who have experience, which is exactly what Reform means. It doesn’t have people who’ve got Government experience.

“So people have said Kemi has come out like this fresh, wonderful, truthful person, she’s not. She’s coming out sniping and a bit bitter.”

Weighing in on the discussion, broadcaster Sonia Sodha defended Mrs Badenoch’s rising popularity, telling GB News: “I think what’s interesting, though, is that she has started to do better in the polls, for sure.

“And it does feel like if you watch her performance, for example, in the House of Commons, she can be a bit hit and miss at Prime Minister’s Questions, but in recent months she has been doing better and there is an uptick, without a doubt. So I do think that’s quite interesting.”

She added: “Don’t don’t get me wrong, the idea of the Conservatives winning the next election is kind of for the birds. And that is maybe partly down to her, but it’s also partly the fact that parties do not recover quickly from the sort of loss that we saw in 2024, which was essentially, rather than that being Labour’s victory, that was the nation saying we are cheesed off with the Tories.”

Ms Malone responded: “She said ‘we will not be blown off course’ – what course?! Does anyone actually know what the course is?”

Host Miriam Cates concluded: “Well, I think the Conservatives have moved to the right and actually there’s very little to choose between the Conservatives and Reform on policy now.

“And so she’s kind of admitting that by saying that people are moving over because of personality or personal ambition.”