Kemi Badenoch claims some civil servants ‘are so bad they should be in prison’

has claimed that as many as a tenth of civil servants are very poor at their jobs – and even claimed some are so bad they “should be in prison.”

The apparently lighthearted remark drew laughter from the audience during a fringe event at the Conference – but is still likely to be seized upon by the former Business Secretary’s critics – and possibly even some of her rivals in the Tory leadership contest. The Public and Commercial Service Union (PCS) was swift to condemn what it called a “deplorable, below-the-belt attack”.

Ms Badenoch, who will together with Robert Jenrick, , and Tom Tugendhat address the party at the event in Birmingham today, accused civil servants of undermining their ministers and leaking official secrets.

Speaking at an event hosted by The Spectator magazine, she clarified that her criticism was not aimed at all civil servants.

When asked whether government department staff should have term limits, she stressed: “I don’t want people to get me wrong.

“I think civil servants are like everybody else. They come in to do a job and I would say about 10 percent of them are absolutely magnificent.

“The trick to being a good minister is to find the good ones quickly, bring them close and try and get the bad ones out of your department as soon as possible.”

In a remark that amused many in attendance, Ms Badenoch added: “There is about five to 10 percent of them who are very, very bad. You know, ‘should be in prison’ bad.”

The MP for North West Essex, who has served in several government departments under Conservative rule, also mentioned specific misconduct – for example leaking official secrets and undermining ministers, which she claimed was often union-driven.

She claimed: “I had some of it in my department, usually union-led.”

However, she conceded that most civil servants “actually want to do a good job,” and that the good ones were often frustrated by their less capable colleagues.

During the same event, Ms Badenoch took a swipe at what she described as an overly cautious workplace culture in the UK, claiming that HR departments are effectively “running the economy right now.”

Earlier in the conference, she faced criticism for suggesting that statutory maternity pay places an “excessive” burden on small businesses.

Speaking on the main stage on Monday, she compared the backlash she received over this to the way a quote often attributed to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, that “there is no such thing as society,” was used against her. Ms Badenoch argued that her comment had been “cut down into a soundbite that was used to attack her (Thatcher)” in a similar fashion.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, criticised Ms Badenoch for her comments about civil servants, saying: “Not only are the prisons close to collapse because of Tory failure, but the continuity leadership candidates are still blaming everyone else for their record.

Civil servants work hard for the country every day and deserve better. When the were in power, they were more focused on stoking up divisions than delivering for the public. This shows they have not changed.”

A PCS spokesperson said: “Kemi Badenoch just can’t let it lie, can she? When she was in power she was accused of bullying civil servants. Now she’s out of power she’s continuing her personal feud against them, many of whom are our members.

“This is a below the belt attack on hard-working civil servants who can’t answer back. We won’t stand for our members being used as vote fodder for the Tory party leadership. Maybe Badenoch should reflect on her words, the way she treats civil servants and why the lost the general election.”