Victoria Derbyshire challenged Priti Patel over Kemi Badenoch’s support for Donald Trump this morning.

Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, told The Times in January that the new US president “will be a force for good in the world”.

Trump has since sent shockwaves across the globe by suggesting he wanted to negotiate a peace in Ukraine, which would give Russia most of its demands, a move which flies in the face of the previous western approach.

The White House has suggested giving Vladimir Putin the parts of Ukraine his troops currently occupy and preventing Kyiv from joining Nato in the near future. 

So on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, BBC presenter Derbyshire asked Tory MP and shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel if her party still thinks Trump is having a positive impact.

Derbyshire said:  “I wonder if you think Donald Trump bringing President Putin in from the cold – and what appears to be his approach to the Ukraine peace process – makes Donald Trump a force for good in the world?”

Patel said Trump has been making it clear “for a period of time” that he wants the Ukraine war to end.

The MP continued: “The fact of the matter is, there is no peace, there is no ceasefire. This is just the start, the start of new initiatives, new talks, new dialogues.

“It’s far too premature to effectively start making assumptions as to the way this will be heading.”

Derbyshire then asked if the Tories have an alternative to the US’s supposed plan to stop Ukraine joining Nato and forcing Ukraine to cede occupied land to Putin.

The MP for Witham replied: “Victoria, if I may say so, these are views that have been aired by a range of people over recent days. 

“At the end of the day, it is for Ukraine to decide its future and the people of Ukraine.”

“But that’s not what the leader of the free world seems to be thinking. and that’s not what his US defence secretary seems to be thinking.”

“It’s early days, I think we should be very very clear about this,” Patel said, saying she did not want to undermine the talks.

But Derbyshire cut in: “Forgive me – that’s not what I’m asking. I want to ask you because it sounds like you don’t necessarily believe what Trump and US defence secretary Pete Hegseth have said this week.”

Patel said it was “too easy to generalise” their comments, but Derbyshire said: “I’m not generalising! I’m literally going by what they’ve said.”

“Well, you don’t know that, you have not been part of those discussions and neither have I,” the Tory MP replied.

“We all need to come to a clear understanding of the wider direction of travel, and it’s very early days with those talks, Victoria.

“And I think right now, the UK and Nato allies must continue to be firm and solid and strong.”