Politics
Kemi and the King: Badenoch meets Charles at Buckingham Palace
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch held a one-to-one audience with the King today after Charles reviving an old political convention.
The monarch welcomed Mrs Badenoch in the grand 1844 Room of Buckingham Palace this morning.
She is said to be the first opposition leader to have a formal one-to-one audience with a monarch in 19 years.
The last Opposition leader to be welcomed in a formal audience in the months after their appointment was David Cameron, when he met with the late Queen in 2006.
A royal source said: “It was a convention that fell by the way in latter years of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s reign and seemed a courtesy to revive in the new reign.”
It is not known why the tradition lapsed during Labour’s years in opposition.
The monarch welcomed Mrs Badenoch in the grand 1844 Room of Buckingham Palace this morning.
Mrs Badenoch, who was elected Tory leader in November, was pictured grinning as the smiling King gestured and held his arms out wide at the start of their half-hour meeting.
The last Opposition leader to be welcomed in a formal audience in the months after their appointment was David Cameron, when he met with the late Queen in 2006 (pictured meeting in 2010).
The King and Mrs Badenoch have met several times before, most recently at Charles’s post-election reception for MPs at the palace last week, and also in June 2023 at a King’s Award for Enterprise reception, when Mrs Badenoch was trade secretary.
Sir Keir Starmer met with Charles two days after Elizabeth II died, but the audience with the Labour leader was a joint one with other opposition leaders and part of the planned schedule of meetings in the aftermath of the Queen’s death.
The King holds a private weekly audience with the Prime Minister each Wednesday to discuss Government matters following Prime Minister’s Questions, with the conversation usually taking place face-to-face.
Although the King must remain politically neutral on all matters, he is able to advise and warn his ministers – including his prime minister – when necessary.
The King and Mrs Badenoch have met several times before, most recently at Charles’s post-election reception for MPs at the palace last week.
Last month it was reported that the environmentally conscious monarch ‘loves’ effots by Net Zero minister Ed Miliband’s to make the UK greener.
The Times reported that the King had praised Mr Miliband and his work to another senior Labour figure.
This is despite critics warning that they could be disastrous for the economy and could drive up domestic bills rather than reduce them.
Internally, Labour figures are also said to be nervous of his efforts at a time when they are being pilloried over a failure to yet turn round the economy.
Charles’s environmentalism is well-known. Last November, Mr Miliband was among ministers, campaigners and business leaders who attended an international sustainability reception he hosted at Buckingham Palace.
Chairman, Policy Manifesto Committee of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, John Odigie-Oyegun, says former president Muhammadu Buhari gave him the shock of his life, six months into his administration as Nigeria’s leader.
Oyegun made this disclosure on Friday when he featured in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’.
He revealed that as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, he went to tell Buhari that he was not delivering his election promises to Nigerians but that the late president told him he would not rule with strictness, but rather wanted to show Nigerians that he is a true civilian president.
The former APC National Chairman lamented that it became business as usual, from there.
“I was national chairman of the APC. Six months or less into our assuming office, fairly alarmed, I went to the late President Buhari for a one-on-one talk. I said Mr President, this is not what the people were expecting. They wanted a bit of the old president Buhari.
“And he explained to me, Mr Chairman, I have learned my lesson. I was shocked. And don’t forget at that time, a lot of prominent Nigerians took their holidays abroad, just to be sure and see what this new sheriff in town will be.
“Buhari told me he wants to now show the people that he’s a true civilian president in Agbada. And by the time we finished the conversation, I said Oh God, we are finished. Because, if he’s not ready to be strict, what’s the point?
“Weeks later, months later, years later, I was proven correct. And of course, it became business as usual, only that they are a new set of tenants in Aso Rock. That was a shocker,” he said.
Former lawmaker, Dino Melaye Esq, has raised concerns over the Senate’s reported rejection of the electronic transmission of election results.
The move, according to Melaye, is a clear endorsement of election rigging and an indication of a sinister plan to rig the 2027 elections.
In a statement on Friday, the former lawmaker criticized the Senate’s decision, stating that it undermines the credibility of the electoral process.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC chieftain, also stated that the move opens the door for electoral manipulation and fraud.
He further warned that the rejection of electronic transmission of results is a step backwards for democracy in Nigeria.
Melaye called on lawmakers and citizens to stand up against “this blatant attempt to undermine the will of the people and ensure that future elections are free, fair, and transparent”.
Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has said Nigerians have every reason to be mad at the Senate over the ongoing debate on e-transmission of election results.
Ezekwesili made this known on Friday when she featured in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’ monitored by DAILY POST.
DAILY POST reports that the Senate on Wednesday turned down a proposed change to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill that aimed to compel the electronic transmission of election results.
Reacting to the matter, Ezekwesili said, “The fundamental issue with the review of the Electoral Act is that the Senate retained the INEC 2022 Act, Section 60 Sub 5.
“This section became infamous for the loophole it provided INEC, causing Nigerians to lose trust. Since the law established that it wasn’t mandatory for INEC to transmit electoral results in real-time, there wasn’t much anyone could say.
“Citizens embraced the opportunity to reform the INEC Act, aiming to address ambiguity and discretionary opportunities for INEC. Yet, the Senate handled it with a “let sleeping dogs lie” approach. The citizens have every reason to be as outraged as they currently are.”
How Buhari shocked me 6 months into his administration – Oyegun
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