Kemi Badenoch's pledge never to form a pact with Reform UK is no hollow boast, according to commentator Leo McKinstry, writing in the Daily Express. A year ago the promise might have sounded empty, but with her leadership now secure and her stock rising, it carries genuine credibility.
From Crisis to Command
After the Conservative Party's heavy defeat in the 2024 General Election, its survival was in doubt, with commentators predicting the end of the party. The election of Badenoch as leader averted the immediate threat, but long-term recovery looked bleak.
Despite her bravery, Badenoch gave some poor performances in media interviews and in the Commons, sparking renewed leadership speculation. Disaffected former Cabinet Minister Robert Jenrick was said to be plotting her overthrow at the 2025 party conference in Manchester, but his manoeuvres gained little traction with activists, partly because Badenoch shored up her position with a powerful, defiant speech.
Jenrick's Defection and Badenoch's Rise
Jenrick has since gone over to Reform UK, while Badenoch has gone from strength to strength. Her Parliamentary style has improved dramatically, and her punchier language has connected with the British public. Her leadership is now secure.
The problem for the Tories is that their overall popularity has not improved in line with her personal standing. Their ratings are now lower than at the last General Election, reflecting the heavy price they continue to pay for failures on immigration and public finances during the last government. Polling expert Lord Ashcroft recently warned Conservative MPs and activists: "People like her – they're just not convinced by the rest of you."
Buoyant Conference and Policy Ideas
Despite these dismal poll numbers, the atmosphere at this week's Birmingham conference was remarkably buoyant. One positive factor is the "Kemistry" their leader exudes, highlighted by her bravura conference speech, whose self-assured delivery and vote-winning ideas had members cheering. She advocated the return of "common-sense" Tory principles like sound money, strong defences and a restrained state, echoing William Hague's 2000 call for a "common sense revolution" against Blairite ideology.
The "Right Way," as she dubbed this strategy, is epitomised by her pledge to abolish all death duties on family properties, a bold move that could galvanise support since inheritance levies are the most hated taxes of all. Labour claimed the Tories are favouring the rich, but Badenoch's team will welcome this class war rhetoric as a sign of how far their opponents have lurched to the left under Andy Burnham.
Badenoch attacked Labour's retreat into a mythical past, saying: "Hope is not a strategy. Nostalgia is not a plan."
Reform and Green Troubles
The Conservatives' potential rehabilitation is further helped by self-inflicted troubles engulfing both Reform and the Green Party – Reform over poor internal discipline and acceptance of dubious donations, and the Greens over its embrace of antisemitism, a process with which its leader Zak Polanski has colluded.
The most compelling passage in Badenoch's speech came when she said she would never form any pact with Reform because of the bigotry displayed by some of its key members. With her stock continuing to rise, that pledge now has real credibility.
