A year on, Kemi Badenoch and the Tories look all at sea with Reform now the unofficial opposition
By Ismail Mulla
Last weekend marked Kemi Badenoch’s first year as leader of the Tory party—a milestone that would typically spark celebration. Given how low the Conservatives had fallen at the previous general election, many assumed improvement was inevitable. Yet Badenoch seems to have guided the party even deeper into political darkness, where any glimmer of hope quickly fades.
She took the reins after another drawn-out leadership contest in which candidates once more focused on appealing to party members rather than the public. The membership itself remains deeply divided, making unity a distant prospect.
Since taking over, Badenoch has launched a new policy platform that feels strikingly similar to previous Conservative agendas. She claimed to be “rebuilding” the party, though the foundations of that rebuild already appear unstable.
Nevertheless, the Tories have managed to land some blows on the Government in their role as the official Opposition. Controversies over winter fuel payments, family farm taxes, and welfare reform mishaps have all offered ammunition. Yet few attribute this to Badenoch’s strategic skill. Instead, it reflects Sir Keir Starmer’s Government repeatedly leaving itself exposed.
“Rebuilding the Conservative party.” — Kemi Badenoch
Rather than a revival, the past year under Badenoch has revealed a party adrift, uncertain of its direction and struggling to reconnect with its voters.
Author’s Summary
Badenoch’s tenure as Tory leader has been marked by internal division, weak renewal efforts, and an Opposition relying more on government missteps than its own leadership.