Few contests are as fierce as those between political rivals who will look for any occasion to get one up on their opponents.

No wonder then that Tory leader Kemi Badenoch took great delight in discovering her event Saturday had sold more tickets than SNP big hitters Nicola Sturgeon and Stephen Flynn.

The revelation came as Mrs Badenoch spoke to broadcaster Iain Dale at his Edinburgh Fringe Festival show.

Sharing her delight after learning her appearance was the top-selling show of Mr Dale’s shows, she said: ‘I’m thrilled I beat Nicola Sturgeon – politicians are always competitive so you’re comfortable keeping scores.’

Mrs Badenoch’s talk took place at noon on Saturday – ahead of an afternoon show where Mr Dale would be talking to SNP minister Stephen Flynn.

However, the numbers prior to his appearance were in the Tory leader’s favour with Mr Dale saying: ‘He’s sold quite well, but not as well as this one.’

Mrs Badenoch’s barbs about the SNP weren’t solely related to ticket sales either with the Tory leader saying Scotland is in a “very dysfunctional” relationship with the Nationalists.

She told the audience: ‘I do feel a pull to Scotland, because I see this as a place that should be more Conservative than it is.

‘I see it as a place that feels like it gets ignored by Westminster, and so has run into the arms of the SNP, and the SNP and Scotland have been a very bad marriage, very dysfunctional.’

She also dismissed Prime Minister Andy Burnham's ‘Number 10 North’ plans to run Britain part-time from Manchester.

The PM has outlined how a new 'Number 10 North' outpost would be the 'nerve centre' of his government, with sources saying it could see him spend a day or two a week in his former northern fiefdom when his schedule allows.

Mrs Badenoch said: ‘People are getting sick of it in Scotland too – this is the real north if you think about it.’

The talk saw Mrs Badenoch once more rule out doing a deal with Reform UK after the next General Election, saying she would rather have another election if there was a hung parliament.

Hitting out at politicians such as Robert Jenrick, who quit the Tories for Mr Farage’s party, she said: ‘These are people who left us when were at our lowest, many of them the people who caused the problems in the first place and then ran away and pretended they had nothing to do with it.

‘Why should we have them back?’

She continued: ‘I don’t want drama queens in the Conservative Party, I want people who are serious about delivering for the country.’