Kemi Badenoch
The Tories are almost evenly divided over the prospect of Kemi Badenoch leading the Conservatives into the next general election in the United Kingdom (UK).
The UK’s next general election is scheduled for August 2029, but local council polls will be held in May of the same year.
Discussions about replacing Badenoch began to grow after the party’s poll ratings dipped ahead of the local elections held in May.
The Tories were projected to lose a significant number of seats in the elections after polls showed that Badenoch has performed poorly and focused on the wrong issues.
Advertisement
The projections turned out accurate, with the Tories recording only 15 percent of the vote in the elections. It was their worst result since 1995.
A YouGov polling of 652 Conservative members revealed small but significant traces of discontent against Badenoch.
According to the results, three in 10 members (29 percent) viewed the party leader unfavourably, but about 70 percent saw her in a positive light.
Advertisement
Some 37 percent of members believed she is doing a bad job as party leader, compared to 61 percent who believed she is doing a good job.
But when it came to the question of whether Badenoch should lead the Tories into the next general election, party members took opposing sides in nearly even percentages.
The poll indicated that 50 percent believed that Badenoch should not lead the Conservatives at the ballot box, relative to 46 percent who felt she should be the party’s prime ministerial candidate in 2029.
“Even among those who voted for her to be party leader last year, 30% believe Badenoch should be replaced as party leader by the next general election,” YouGov said in the results published October 6.
Advertisement
Robert Jenrick, right-wing shadow justice secretary and Badenoch’s rival at the 2024 leadership election, is the party’s favourite of the membership to succeed her.
Boris Johnson, former prime minister, and James Cleverly, shadow housing secretary, are also candidates of choice.
