I’m so thick-skinned to the point where I don’t even notice if people are trying to create harm – Kemi Badenoch says Argentinian president would be the ‘template’ for her government

UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has expressed admiration for Argentine President Javier Milei, calling him “the template” for reducing the size of government.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Badenoch praised Milei’s honesty with voters and results-driven approach, stating that the Conservatives must focus on “offering hope” rather than becoming “a repository for disenchantment” like Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

Acknowledging public discontent with the Tories, she predicted that voters would eventually tire of Farage’s rhetoric, which she claimed positions Reform to the left of Conservatives on welfare issues.

Badenoch outlined her vision as re-evaluating the state’s role rather than merely cutting it and dismissed speculation about an imminent leadership challenge.

Milei, elected in 2023, became known for his dramatic campaign pledges to slash government spending, symbolized by his signature chainsaw.

“I can’t spend all my time worrying about regicide. I would lose my mind,” she told the newspaper. “I’m so thick-skinned to the point where I don’t even notice if people are trying to create harm. That’s extremely useful in this job.”