Kemi Badenoch has six months to save the Tories – and her leadership, MPs warn
Kemi Badenoch warned over Conservative leadership amid low ratings
- Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, faces a leadership challenge if the party fails to improve its standing by the May elections, with Robert Jenrick considered a likely successor.
- Support for the Conservatives has fallen by seven points since Ms Badenoch became leader a year ago, with polls consistently showing the party at historically low levels around 17 per cent.
- Critics within the party accuse Ms Badenoch of a lack of sustained engagement and warn that delaying a leadership change until May could be detrimental due to the growing influence of Reform UK.
- Reform UK has seen a steady stream of defections from the Conservatives, including an MP and former party chair, alongside dozens of councillors, raising concerns about further losses.
- While some MPs believe a leadership change is necessary to counter Reform UK, others fear that yet another leadership contest would make the party appear unstable and further alienate voters.