𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Kemi Badenoch has backed Sir Idris Elba’s call to avoid having a “woke James Bond”. Speculation is rife about who could succeed Daniel Craig as the fabled British spy, but Sir Idris – who was once seen as a contender to play 007 – has advised: “[Let’]s not try and make it woke.”He also suggested that in “some markets” audiences would not warm to the idea of “a black male, an African male, playing Bond”.

Conservative leader Mrs Badenoch backed the actor, telling the Express: “I agree with Idris Elba that we should not make James Bond woke, because that will ruin the entire franchise. But it is for the writers and the people who own the rights to make that decision, and then the public will deliver their verdict in terms of ticket sales. I believe in capitalism. That’s the way that it should work.”

Auditions for the next Bond are reported to have been taking place in recent weeks. A half decade has passed since Mr Craig’s final outing as the iconic spy in No Time To Die.

The next film will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, who has directed the recent acclaimed Dune science fiction movies. Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is on writing duties.

Last month Amazon MGM Studios announced that the “search for the next James Bond is underway”. This will be the first film since the Amazon studio took control of the franchise.