Partygate scandal was 'overblown', claims new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The new leader of the Conservative Party has claimed that the Partygate scandal was 'overblown'. Kemi Badenoch, who was yesterday elected as Rishi Sunak's successor by party members, also said that the Government should not have fined people for carrying out 'everyday activities' during the Covid lockdown.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was found to have misled MPs over the scandal, had previously apologised but recently said he had regretted doing so.

Labour said her comments would add 'add insult to injury' for families who lost loved ones during the pandemic, while the Liberal Democrats claim they show that Badenoch is 'completely out of touch with the public'.

In her first TV interview since becoming party leader, Badenoch was challenged over what went wrong under her predecessors after she promised to be “honest” about where the Conservatives had made mistakes. READ MORE: Rolls Royce cars, dressing Kim Kardashian and shops in LA...