Kemi Badenoch Hosts Pub Quiz To Boost Tory Morale
2 min read
Kemi Badenoch held a pub quiz for Conservative MPs as the Tory leader looks to lift party morale.
Dozens of Tory MPs gathered at The Albert in Victoria, a short walk from Westminster, on Tuesday evening, for food, drinks and a quiz hosted by TV presenter and former Conservative MP, Gyles Brandreth.
Badenoch told Conservative MPs in attendance that while they may be "outnumbered" in the House of Commons, they are not "outgunned".
The opposition get-together took place shortly after a House of Commons vote on the government's welfare reforms, when Prime Minister Keir Starmer performed an eleventh-hour U-turn to a major Labour backbench rebellion defeating the legislation.
A number of senior Tories, including Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, were in attendance. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, was not.
The Tory MPs in the room chose team names to poke fun at the Labour government as it nears a year in power, including the winning team: the "Four U-Turns".
The quiz, which was attended by former prime minister Rishi Sunak, was heavy on political trivia and included questions like who is the shortest-serving chancellor. One attendee shouted "Rishi Sunak", in an allusion to the former Tory leader's height.
MPs were offered a menu including chips, pastries, chicken goujons and what one MP described as “dodgy looking BLT sandwiches”.
Attendees told PoliticsHome that spirits were high despite the party's poor opinion polling and growing internal frustrations that Badenoch has not made more of an impact as leader of the opposition. Some recent opinion polls have put the Conservatives as low as fourth, behind Reform, Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
“The mushroom and chicken pastries were flaking faster than party unity,” said one Conservative MP at the pub.
