Kemi Badenoch faces allegations of orchestrating a social media tactic by posing Conservative members as ordinary citizens. The embattled Tory leader shared a video featuring herself and James Cleverly at the residence of a woman expressing discontent over stamp duty. While not explicitly stated in the footage, the woman welcoming them is identified as Seena Shah, who ran for the Conservatives in the 2019 general election.
In the video, Ms. Shah discusses with Ms. Badenoch and Mr. Cleverly how some of her acquaintances postponed expanding their families due to stamp duty concerns. Also present but unnamed is Louise McKinlay, the Conservative deputy leader of Essex County Council.
A source from the Labour party criticized the incident, accusing Kemi Badenoch of attempting to portray a local Conservative association chair as a regular citizen in a scripted video. The source suggested that the Conservatives’ reliance on their own activists to endorse policies reflects their desperation.
Ms. Shah later shared the video on her Instagram account, where she openly identifies her affiliation with the Conservative Party. She highlights the impact of stamp duty on individuals’ decisions, emphasizing the significance of abolishing the tax.
During the interaction, Ms. McKinlay nodded in agreement as a companion remarked on their housing plans being affected by the election outcome. Ms. Shah, a former Tory candidate and current councillor, expressed her views on the economy and the potential benefits of eliminating stamp duty during the meeting with Kemi Badenoch.
Mrs. Badenoch, in her address at the Tory Party conference in Manchester, reiterated her commitment to scrapping stamp duty if the Tories regain power. She emphasized the potential life-changing effects of such a policy move.
Following the video’s release, Mrs. Badenoch tagged Ms. McKinlay in her social media post but omitted tagging Ms. Shah. The Mirror has reached out to Tory HQ and Ms. McKinlay for their responses to the situation.