Badenoch: My superpower would be reading minds

The Tory leadership contest has entered its final week and both finalists are ramping up their media appearances in a last ditch attempt to pick up votes. While she initially opted not to spend too much time on the airwaves, Kemi Badenoch has in recent days accepted more interview invites as concerns about voter turnout grow. The leadership hopeful has now appeared on today’s episode of BBC Newscast – in which she was quizzed on her temperament, ‘principles-first’ approach and, er, superpower. Priorities, priorities…

‘If I could pick one single superhero power, it would be to read peoples’ minds,’ the straight-talking candidate admitted to the Beeb’s Adam Fleming and Chris Mason, noting shrewdly: ‘It would help a lot in politics. People don’t say what they think, they don’t say what they mean – and I think it would probably solve a lot of problems if they did.’ How very curious.

The leadership hopeful added that her perceived abrasiveness by colleagues was ‘one of the manifestations’ of her having ‘a higher threshold for stress’ – and certainly Badenoch is no stranger to speaking bluntly.