When Kemi Badenoch was handed the reins to the Conservative Party in November 2024, she faced a gargantuan task: to revive a fragmented and severely diminished party. Although nobody expected her to bring the Tories back to their former glory immediately, it has been over two months since her win and her star seems to be fading fast. Instead, it is Nigel Farage who hogs the limelight Badenoch so covets, and he isn’t afraid to confront her.
Badenoch is infamous for her ability to start a fight in an empty room and is no stranger to putting her foot in it, including by claiming maternity pay is too much. Whilst many have long warned this makes her unsuitable for the role as leader of the Conservatives, it has ensured her a prominent spot in the headlines, suggesting she subscribes to the ‘any publicity is good publicity’ mantra. However, since Nigel Farage’s return to the forefront of UK politics and Elon Musk’s recent intervention into the national conversation, Badenoch is no longer the radical voice, and the Tories continue to fade into the background as a result.
This week, Badenoch has chosen to focus her attacks on Labour on the grooming gangs scandal, after Musk and Farage reignited the moral panic. However, rather than bolstering support for her party, it left her vulnerable. Starmer was quick to point out at Wednesday’s PMQs that she was a minister in the Government which repeatedly refused to undertake a full inquiry, whilst failing to implement any of the recommendations from the eventual Jay Inquiry. Attacks like these, especially in the context of the amendment tabled by the Conservatives to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill on the same day, have raised questions over Badenoch’s effectiveness and allowed Farage to position himself as the right-wing’s cheerleader, if not quite yet as the de facto Leader of the Opposition.
Badenoch and the Tories as a whole have gradually been shifting right for some time now, hoping to capture some of the momentum Reform continues to enjoy. The ill-fated Rwanda policy was just one symptom of this, but as the July election demonstrated, it was not enough to save them from losing seats to Labour, Reform, and the Lib Dems. Badenoch’s election as party leader, narrowly beating another right-wing candidate Robert Jenrick, was suggestive of further drift to the right in response to the loss of seats. But despite this, she has been unable to wrestle the limelight from Farage. Conservative insiders are lamenting her inability to reestablish the party as a serious electoral threat, with some even calling for the return of Boris Johnson before the next election. So with Farage thriving and Badenoch trying to piggyback on his relentless media coverage, the right continues to grow stronger in the UK. But there's no guarantee the Tories will share in the spoils.
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