Kemi Badenoch has declared she would likely take action against shoplifters if she witnessed theft, following a rapid assessment of the situation.

Speaking in an exclusive sit-down interview with Christopher Hope on GB News, the Conservative leader confirmed her willingness to intervene directly, saying: “After a very quick risk assessment, probably yes. That’s the sort of person I am.”

The opposition leader's comments came during a discussion about public intervention in criminal activities and citizens arrest.

Kemi Badenoch told GB News that she would step in if she saw shoplifting

GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope asked her: "If you saw a shoplifter, would you step in and say, stop that?"

She responded: "After a very quick risk assessment probably, yes. That’s the sort of person I am. I never liked the phrase 'have a go hero' because I think it’s what people used to do as normal back in the day. But then we had the encroachment of bureaucracy.

"A lot of people are worried that if they step in, they’ll get arrested. It should be the other way around. It can’t just be the police who do all the arresting.

"We used to have and still do have the concept of a citizen’s arrest, but a lot of people don’t feel the state will back them."

Hope asked: "Should the Government be clear about that?

Kemi Badenoch: "Yes, absolutely. That is what I stand for. We will never, ever have enough police officers to do every single thing that needs policing. We need the community as well to do that."

The comments reinforce Badenoch’s “firm sense of right from wrong,” a trait she discussed in an interview last week.

The Conservative leader told Amol Rajan about an incident when she was “about 14 or 15” and interrupted an exam to expose a cheating student.

She stood up mid-test and declared: “He’s cheating, he’s the one that’s doing it” an accusation that led to the pupil’s expulsion.

Explaining her actions to the BBC, Badenoch said: “I’ve always hated cheating. I’ve done all the work and then there are some people copying notes why should they get away with it?”

The Conservative leader sat down for an exclusive interview with Christopher Hope

She acknowledged being "the tattle-tale in the class, getting people into trouble," and characterised herself as a "swot" determined to excel academically.

The school incident, however, brought condemnation rather than approval from her classmates. "I didn't get praised for it.

"I was a relatively popular kid at school, and people said, 'Why did you do that? Why would you do it?' I said, 'Because he was doing the wrong thing.'"

She added that people throughout her life have told her: "You don't follow the rules, you don't do what you're supposed to.

"You're always sticking your head above the parapet, you're too direct, you tell the truth when you don't need to tell the truth when you should pipe down."