Stephen Dixon has branded Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch a “grass” following her admission that she reported a classmate for cheating during her school years.
The GB News host made the remarks whilst discussing Badenoch’s BBC interview, in which she revealed getting a fellow student expelled.
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Stephen Dixon slammed the Tory leader
However, not everyone shares that view. Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake, who worked closely with Badenoch for 18 months, defended her actions as a sign of honesty and strong principles.
“In my experience of Kemi, she says these things because she’s incredibly honest and decent, with a strong sense of right and wrong,” Hollinrake said.
“She’s not the kind of person who says one thing and does another.
“She follows through on what she says. She’s strong and courageous, and that’s why I voted for her. I think she’s the most authentic person in politics.”
Hollinrake argued that Badenoch’s decision to come forward was not about betrayal, but about standing up against wrongdoing.
Badenoch disclosed to Amol Rajan that she had been a “tattle-tale” at school, describing an incident where she exposed a pupil for cheating during an examination when she was a teenager.
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During her appearance on Rajan’s interview series, Badenoch recounted how she was “about 14 or 15” when she interrupted an examination to identify a student who was breaking the rules.
She stood up during the test and declared: “He’s cheating, he’s the one that’s doing it,” which resulted in the boy’s removal from the school.
The Conservative leader explained her actions were motivated by her strong distaste for dishonesty, stating: “I’ve always hated cheating. I’ve done all the work and then there’s some people who are copying notes, and why should they get away with it?”
Badenoch acknowledged she had been “the tattle-tale in the class, getting people into trouble” and described herself as a “swot” who aspired to achieve top marks.
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Badenoch acknowledged she had been “the tattle-tale in the class”
The incident brought criticism rather than commendation from her peers, with Badenoch receiving no recognition for her actions.
“I didn’t get praised for it. I was a relatively popular kid at school, and people said ‘why did you do that, why would you do it?’ I said ‘because he was doing the wrong thing’,” she told the BBC.
One classmate’s response was particularly harsh, telling her: “You don’t belong here.”
Badenoch revealed she has encountered similar reactions throughout her life, with people telling her: “You don’t follow the rules, you don’t do what you’re supposed to.
“You’re always sticking your head above the parapet, you’re too direct, you tell the truth when you don’t need to tell the truth, when you should pipe down.”
