LONDON — Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative Party used to discuss who would replace her. Now they want her secret sauce. Almost two years after taking the helm of the Tory party in the wake of its 2024 general election battering, Badenoch’s personal ratings are soaring.
YouGov polling, conducted last month, found 38 percent of Brits think Badenoch is doing well as Conservative Party leader — up 23 points from last October. Some 43 percent of Brits see her as decisive, with 40 percent regarding her as competent. But with just one in five Britons believing her Conservative Party is ready to govern again — and the party now facing a more popular adversary in No. 10 Downing Street in Andy Burnham — strategists are eyeing an autumn blitz putting Badenoch to the fore.
We are trying to promote the rest of the shadow Cabinet to make sure that popularity rubs off on the rest of the party,” said one Badenoch staffer, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record. Badenoch’s performance at last year’s gathering marked the beginning of her transformation as party leader, and her team is hoping to repeat the trick by making this year’s conference more Badenoch-focused. There will be less policy this year, according to one shadow minister familiar with the plans and also granted anonymity to speak freely.
There was a bit too much policy, trying to prove we had something to say. This will be about putting Kemi forward as an alternative to Andy Burnham,” this person said. Hot on the heels of party conference season will be the Burnham administration’s first budget, currently penciled in for Oct. 28.
Strategists hope it will give them a chance to promote the party’s “sound” economic vision. Badenoch’s response to last year’s budget went “viral” — and is seen as a key moment when the public started to see the Tory leader differently. It is Badenoch and not Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride who is “calling the shots” on economic strategy, according to another member of the shadow Cabinet.
Badenoch discussed how to shape a right-wing economic vision — in particular the challenge of keeping wealthy people from leaving the country — with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday, according to the Times. Though shadow ministers and advisors agree long-serving Conservatives like Stride will help give Badenoch credibility within the business community. That’s what Kemi’s team are hoping will be the transformative thing,” said the same shadow Cabinet minister quoted above.
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