Badenoch says she would copy drastic cuts of Argentina's president
The Conservative leader said that her plans to reduce government spending would take inspiration from Javier Milei, adding that she was 'terrified' by the size of Britain's debt.
Badenoch also batted away speculation that she may not survive in post until the next general election, saying that if she paid attention to briefings by some Tory MPs about her being deposed, she would 'lose her mind'.
It came after a mini-reshuffle of the Conservative frontbench, in which Badenoch brought back her former rival in the leadership contest, Sir James Cleverly, to shadow the housing secretary, Angela Rayner.
Badenoch was asked on Thursday if Britain needed a Milei, whom she has previously paid tribute to, and whether she was such a leader.
'Yes and yes,' she told the Financial Times in an interview. 'Milei is the template.'
• Javier Milei's chainsaw economics in Argentina could lead the way
Milei has overseen massive spending cuts since he came to power, just over a year and a half ago. His trademark prop is a chainsaw, to demonstrate his approach to public spending. Measures implemented in Argentina under his leadership include dismissing tens of thousands of state employees, slashing pensions and freezing dozens of infrastructure projects.
The tribute to Milei this week will lead to speculation that Badenoch will push for significant spending cuts — however, where these would fall remains unclear.
She said: 'It's not about cutting bits of the state.' Badenoch warned against 'top slicing' spending, and said instead: 'It's about looking at what the state does, why it does it.'
Despite the Tories having trailed in the opinion polls for months, Badenoch warned her party not to emulate Nigel Farage's party. She said: 'We cannot be a repository for disenchantment,' instead saying the Tories should be about 'offering hope, fixing problems'.
• What Kemi Badenoch's reshuffle says about the state of the Tories
Badenoch praised Milei in her leadership pitch to Tory members at the party conference last autumn, saying that he gave a speech with 'very similar themes' to one she delivered two years ago, and hoped to have been his source of inspiration.
In January, Badenoch also said that Argentina was 'serious about freeing business from red tape'. At prime minister's questions at the start of the year, she said 'Argentina is taking a chainsaw to regulations', in an attempt to persuade Sir Keir Starmer to drop his plans to strengthen workers' rights that she argued would stifle business growth.
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