The woman who was and Trade Secretary and women and equalities minister in Rishi Sunak’s Government polled 19,360 votes – less than half of the 39,714 she got in 2019 when she was defending the former Saffron Walden seat she first won in 2017.
The turnout was 68.1%, down from 72.86%.
The result is in stark contrast to the 2019 election, which saw Mrs Badenoch increase her vote share to 63% from 68.1% two years earlier, when she became the first woman to represent the Saffron Walden constituency, which had been Tory-held since 1922.
“It’s also clear they have lost trust in and that is a big danger. The Conservatives must come back… be in no doubt that work starts now.”
She was then rushed out to her waiting car as TV crews and reporters scrambled to get a comment from the 44-year-old MP, who is widely tipped to be the next leader of the Conservatives. But she remained tight-lipped and left without saying anything further her next move.
