Kemi Badenoch denied that the Conservatives had struggled to fill seats at the party’s conference.
Asked whether she was worried that the main had been half empty for many speeches, she said it was “simply not true” and that there had been “standing room only” when she addressed the gathering on Sunday.
She told BBC Breakfast: “We have had our fringes very full. People have been complaining to me about having to queue to get in.
“You can hear my voice is hoarse. I was at an absolutely packed Young Conservatives event where we were singing Sweet Caroline. I probably shouldn’t have been doing that.
“We’re having a great time, and I’m really pleased with the number of people who have come to our conference.
She added: “A lot of the people who came just because we were in government, the corporate lobbyists, yes, they’re not there, but our members are here. This is one of the first conferences I’ve been to where it has really felt like the members owned it, and I’m really proud of that.”
