Kemi Badenoch sings Sweet Caroline in bar as she claims Tory conference not a washout

Kemi Badenoch was filmed singing Sweet Caroline with Tory activists as she put a brave face on the party's washout conference.

The Conservative leader admitted on Tuesday morning that her voice was hoarse after partying with the Tory faithful. A clip shows her waving a Union Jack flag in a bar as younger conference delegates let their hair down.

She was quizzed about the rows of empty seats that have been a feature of the showcase event in Manchester. On Monday Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride's keynote speech failed to fill the 1,000 capacity hall, in stark contrast to previous years.

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But Ms Badenoch told BBC Breakfast she has been pleased with how the conference has gone. She claimed: "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.

"I'm really pleased with the number of people who have come to our conference. 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 really felt like the members owned it, and I'm really proud of that."

BBC host Sally Nugent observed: "So maybe the atmosphere in the hall was a little bit flat, but clearly in the bar it was okay."

Mrs Badenoch responded: "Yeah, we were in the bars. We're in the bars. You can hear it in my voice. I probably should not have been doing that late at night. But the Young Conservatives are really fun bunch, and they're really excited."

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