Tory leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch grilled on BBC over NHS 'free at point of use' remarks

Tory leadership contender Kemi Badenoch has been grilled on her comments appearing to cast doubt on the future of NHS funding.

The former Cabinet minister bizarrely claimed the public may one day decide the health service should no longer be free at the point of use. The comments came as she called for urgent reform of the NHS and said she had "no issue with their being private provision" in the health service.

In an interview with the Times, the former Cabinet minister had said: "I don't think we are ready for changing the principle of free at the point of use, certainly not immediately." She added: "If we are going to reform things like that, I think we need to have a serious cross-party, national conversation."

Quizzed on the comments on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg whether the NHS should be free at the point of use forever, Ms Badenoch replied: "That is a consensus we have in this country. There are many ways to deliver a free at the point of use service that doesn't require the government to be involved in every aspect."

Asked whether she had implied the principle of the NHS being free at the point of use may one day change, she replied: "It might be that the public decide that." But asked for her own view, she added: "I've just given you my view."

It came as Ms Badnoch also insisted in a separate interview she doesn't go looking for fights - but "if you swing at me, I'll swing back".

Asked about high-profile rows with figures including Dr Who star David Tennant and the Post Office chair Henry Staunton, she said: "What is interesting about all those three people is there I was being nice, minding my own business, and then they came after me."

The North West Essex MP added: "Why is it that people worry about someone who talks back? They don't like it when women talk back, they don't like it when politicians talk back."

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