Kemi Badenoch has admitted that “a lot of Brexit has not been a success”.
Speaking on GB News’s Decision Time: The Race to Lead, the Tory leadership hopeful said Britain has been “too scared” to reap the benefits of leaving the European Union (EU).
She added that leaving the EU is “pointless” if Britain continues following a similar path to the bloc.
“That is what I fought for as Business and Trade Secretary,” she said.
Kemi Badenoch said not all of Brexit has been a success
GB NEWS
“Signing trade deals yes, cooperating with countries across the world yes, but also looking at how we can have smarter regulation and looking at how we can compete better with our nearest neighbours.
“Being a competitive economy is one of the things that will help us grow.
“One of the reasons why Brexit has not been as much of a success as it should be is because we did not start with a plan.”
She added: “The other reason that people think it has created problems is because everything is blamed on Brexit.
Kemi Badenoch said Britain is yet to reap the rewards of Brexit
GB NEWS
“When I travelled all around the world, I saw the same issues we have here everywhere. In Japan, Australia, the US, Canada and Mexico, they all had issues with immigration, inflation and energy.
“In Italy on Lampedusa, more people arrived on small boats than residents on that island.
“None of those issues are down to Brexit. We have to stop blaming Brexit for our problems, stop blaming the EU or our international agreements and start fixing problems here ourselves.”
Badenoch spent much of her time telling Tory members how she intends to go about tackling cultural matters.
Kemi Badenoch made her pitch to Tory members
GB NEWS
She appeared to defend the European Convention on Human Rights by claiming it protects “gender-critical women”.
She said: "The ECHR and the Human Rights Act are what I used to defend many gender-critical women who were worried about single-sex spaces... If we take it out we need to make sure we have something to replace it, not just a promise.”
Badenoch also suggested leaving the ECHR would have a detrimental impact on Northern Ireland.
The North West Essex MP's stance comes in stark contrast to Jenrick's anti-ECHR position.
She complained young Britons are being taught to “hate” Britain.
During her 45-minute grilling, the ex-Business Secretary said: "I am worried about the way people talk about this country.
"We are teaching young people to hate this country. I am telling you now this is a dangerous thing."