Kemi Badenoch has denied that she is part of an alleged plan to oust Rishi Sunak as prime minister. “This is a nonsense story. This is the media trying to fuel lots of gossip about Westminster,” the Conservative minister said on Thursday, 1 February. It comes after The Guardian reported that the business secretary is a member of a Tory WhatsApp group called “evil plotters”, a name her allies insist is a tongue-in-cheek joke. A Tory insider told the newspaper that Ms Badenoch is not directly involved with any plot to topple Mr Sunak, but “she’s got a campaign ready for when the moment does eventually come.”