Kemi Badenoch plotted to take out Sunak as prime minister before the 2024 general election, according to explosive claims contained in a new political biography by Sir Anthony Seldon.
The allegations have raised fresh questions about the internal divisions that plagued the Conservative Party before its heavy defeat at the hands of Labour. According to Seldon’s new book, Sunak at 10: The Last Conservative PM?, Badenoch had little respect for then-prime minister Rishi Sunak and was involved in discussions about potentially forcing him out of Downing Street.
The claims are particularly significant because Badenoch later succeeded Sunak as Conservative Party leader following the 2024 election. She was serving as business secretary when the alleged discussions about replacing Sunak were taking place.
Badenoch Allegedly Wanted To Remove Sunak
According to the book, relations between Kemi Badenoch and Rishi Sunak were never particularly close. Seldon claims that Badenoch believed Sunak had been rude towards her and that she did not have much respect for him as prime minister.
The political biography alleges that Badenoch became involved with Conservative MPs who were increasingly unhappy with Sunak’s government, particularly over immigration policy.
Seldon claims Badenoch was considering giving Sunak an ultimatum. If he refused to accept the demands of Conservative rebels, she could potentially resign from the Cabinet in protest.
The book also contains claims from unnamed political insiders that Badenoch was prepared to “take him out”, referring to an effort to remove Sunak from No 10.
However, the allegations are presented as accounts from sources interviewed for the book and should not be treated as independently established facts.
Cabinet Revolt Was Reportedly Considered
The book claims Badenoch and members of her political team had been considering whether a Cabinet rebellion could be organised against Sunak.
Seldon alleges that the discussions intensified after Robert Jenrick resigned from the Cabinet in December 2023. Jenrick, who later defected to Reform, had been one of the prominent Conservative figures demanding a tougher approach to immigration.
According to the book, Badenoch contacted several Cabinet ministers to discover whether they were interested in “changing the captain”.
The alleged strategy was not necessarily to launch an immediate leadership contest. Instead, Badenoch was reportedly concerned about creating enough pressure to force Sunak to change course or leave office.
One unnamed Conservative MP described Badenoch to Seldon as someone who had orchestrated trouble inside the Cabinet while Sunak was struggling to establish his authority.
Former Conservative MP Danny Kruger also reportedly claimed that Badenoch wanted Sunak removed but was worried about becoming associated with the consequences of replacing him shortly before an election.
Why Badenoch Did Not Challenge Sunak
Despite the alleged discussions, Badenoch ultimately did not launch a direct challenge against Sunak before the July 2024 election.
Seldon argues that the decision was motivated less by loyalty to Sunak and more by political calculations.
The book claims Badenoch understood that removing Sunak so close to an election could make her a target if the Conservatives suffered the defeat that many politicians already expected.
There was also reportedly concern that another senior Conservative politician could benefit from Sunak’s removal.
Seldon suggests that Badenoch feared the Conservative leadership could instead go to Penny Mordaunt if Sunak was forced out.
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The decision therefore allowed Badenoch to remain politically positioned for the future while avoiding responsibility for a potentially disastrous pre-election leadership change.
That calculation ultimately proved significant because the Conservatives suffered a historic defeat in the 2024 general election, after which Sunak resigned as party leader.
Conservative Infighting And Labour’s Landslide
The allegations have also renewed discussion about the impact of Conservative Party infighting on the 2024 election result.
Seldon argues that continued divisions within the Conservative Party damaged its standing with voters and contributed to the scale of Labour’s victory.
Sunak reportedly became increasingly frustrated with Conservative rebels who were challenging his leadership and policies.
According to the book, the former prime minister believed some of his critics were deliberately attempting to provoke him into an angry response that could further expose divisions within the party.
Seldon claims Sunak told aides that he would not allow himself to be distracted because he had a country to govern.
The political biographer argues that the constant internal disputes ultimately came at a cost, with voters becoming increasingly tired of Conservative infighting.
Badenoch Has Denied Disloyalty Claims
Badenoch has strongly denied accusations that she was disloyal to Sunak.
Her supporters could therefore challenge the interpretation presented in Seldon’s book, particularly because several of the most serious allegations are attributed to unnamed sources and political insiders.
Nevertheless, the claims provide a new account of the tensions that existed within the Conservative Party during the final months of Sunak’s premiership.
They also offer an insight into the political calculations that surrounded the Conservative leadership before the 2024 election.
What The New Book Claims About Sunak
The allegations are contained in Sunak at 10: The Last Conservative PM?, written by Anthony Seldon and Tom Egerton.
The book examines Sunak’s time in Downing Street and the political circumstances surrounding his premiership, including his relationship with senior Conservative politicians.
Its claims about Badenoch are likely to attract particular attention because she eventually became the Conservative leader after Sunak stepped down.
The revelations could also reignite debate about whether the Conservatives could have performed better in 2024 if senior figures had presented a more united front.
While it remains impossible to establish every private conversation described by political insiders, the allegations underline the deep tensions that existed within the Conservative Party before its election defeat.
The book is due to go on sale on 27 August 2026, giving readers an opportunity to examine the wider account of Sunak’s premiership and the political battles surrounding his leadership.
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