Kemi Badenoch is facing internal pressure from senior Conservatives not to align the party too closely with Donald Trump, amid a debate about how the Tories can learn from the president-elect's victory. During her first Prime Minister's Questions as Tory leader, Badenoch highlighted disparaging remarks made by Foreign Secretary David Lammy about Trump and suggested Trump would thank Labour activists who campaigned for Kamala Harris.
One former cabinet minister warned that Badenoch had “fallen into a populist trap,” arguing that the party lost the election to the left, not the right, and that Trumpism is not the answer for winning back seats in areas like Surrey, Cheltenham, and Somerset. Another former minister noted that Trump is “spectacularly unpopular” in the UK and questioned the political motivation for aligning with him, comparing the Tories' position to that of Joe Biden.
Senior figures are also concerned that Trump will boost Nigel Farage's Reform UK, with Farage attending a victory party at Mar-a-Lago. One former cabinet minister said this should reopen the debate about persuading Farage to join the Conservative Party, as his political leverage from Trump's win is immense.
Giles Dilnot, editor of ConservativeHome, said the Tories could learn from Trump's authenticity and willingness to listen to voters, but warned of differences over tariffs and Ukraine. He argued that the party should make the case for global free trade and avoid adopting populist ideas from Reform that are “simply impractical and ill thought through.”
