Latest news with #Kemi
Spectator
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Why the Tories must bring back Boris
The British people adore Boris Johnson. That is unarguable. It's why he doesn't lose elections. It is therefore very funny – the way idiocy so often is – that the Conservative party even in this, its moment of greatest existential crisis, is not right now prostrating itself before the great man to beg for his return. Boris used his farewell speech in Downing Street to liken himself to the ancient Roman statesman Cincinnatus 'We are profoundly sorry that we thought we knew better than you, and accept that all evidence since we deposed you has proved us entirely and unforgivably wrong,' it should be snivelling. 'Please come back and save us, like you did when, not six years ago against all odds, you delivered the biggest parliamentary majority we've had since 1987.' But no. Instead, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch – even after last week presiding over the loss of 674 Conservative council seats and control of 16 local authorities – continues to speak vaguely about the policies she will one day, presumably when she thinks we can handle them, set before the idiot voters. 'This is not about winning elections, this is about fixing our country,' she told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday. Errr. 'Yes, of course, you need to win elections to do that, but you also need a credible plan.' Meanwhile, the latest YouGov poll puts the Tories on their joint-lowest ever rating of 17 – one point ahead of the Liberal Democrats, and twelve points behind leaders Reform. Let us know when you're ready, Kemi. For what it's worth, YouGov data also shows Boris remains the joint third most popular politician in the land – tied with Laura Trott on 34 per cent popularity behind David Frost (40) and Nigel Farage (36). By contrast, Kemi's popularity is 22 per cent, the same as Sir Keir Starmer's. Robert Jenrick's – 17 per cent – puts him just behind Jeremy Corbyn (18). I've argued in these pages before that the reason the British like Boris so much is, chiefly, because he is very funny, a quality he apparently shares with no other British politician, and also because he's fantastically intelligent – which is why he was able so regularly at PMQs to wipe the floor with Starmer (A-level results: B, B and C). We sense, too, that he is genuinely interested in people, in a way that typical members of our droidish career political class are not. It's why he reaches parts – the Red Wall, for starters – they do not. It's no surprise a More In Common poll this week showed that were Boris to be reinstalled as Tory leader, the party would immediately overtake Reform. Yes, there is a section of the country that will never forgive him for Brexit, but that is sour grapes and ultimately cannot be helped. It is also a tragedy that this most libertarian – and freedom-loving – of leaders was in power when the pandemic struck. You need only to read his autobiography to understand how much he hated imposing lockdowns. It is also true that under his leadership, the United Kingdom underwent an extraordinary – and inexcusable – spike in legal and illegal immigration. Were he ever to return, he would have to address this rapidly, and – given today's political currents – make rectifying it a clear priority. Likewise, he would benefit from toning down the net zero rhetoric he surprisingly became so zealous about. The British metropolitan elite will always – is it jealousy? – loathe Boris. That is its prerogative. However, for the Conservative party now to steadfastly ignore his very obvious appeal to the wider nation, even as the craggy mountain of doom looms ever closer and all dashboard indicators urgently flash red, seems perverse in the extreme. There is only so long a political party can go on taking for granted that it knows better than its own voters, especially with the rise of Reform. When he was pushed out in 2022, Boris used his farewell speech in Downing Street to liken himself to the ancient Roman statesman Cincinnatus – 'like Cincinnatus, I am returning to my plough' – who after saving the republic gave up power and returned to his farm, only to be called back when Rome needed him again. Very clearly, the Conservative party now needs saving. Whether they like it or not, the time has come for the Tories to put up the Boris signal. It's their only hope.
Spectator
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Coffee House Shots Live with Zia Yusuf and Jacob Rees-Mogg
The post-mortem has begun on a historic set of local elections – but where does each party go from here? Is Reform unstoppable? Is Kemi the one to lead the Conservative rebuild? Do Labour really 'get it'? Michael Gove, James Heale and Lucy Dunn are joined by special guests Zia Yusuf and Jacob Rees-Mogg to unpack these questions – as well as the broader ramifications of the local elections on British politics. Listen for: Zia's understanding of why Reform did so well; Jacob's concession that a Tory/Reform pact of some description could be the only way for the Conservatives to avoid extinction; and Michael's assessment of whether Labour will force us closer to the EU. This podcast was originally recorded live at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster on Wednesday 7 May.
Spectator
07-05-2025
- Business
- Spectator
Starmer used Kemi's words to undermine Kemi at PMQs. It worked
Kemi Badenoch tried two ambushes at PMQs. She lambasted Sir Keir Starmer for cutting the winter fuel allowance and leaving old folks to shiver through the coldest months of the year. But Sir Keir claimed that he was merely trying to stabilise the economy. Kemi accused him of balancing the books 'on the backs of pensioners.' Good start. Kemi has waited a long time to lead on this issue and the clamour of dissent grows daily. She read out a list. The mayor of Doncaster, the Welsh first minister and various grumble-bunnies on Labour's backbenches are united against the cut to pensioners' payments. 'When is he going to listen to his own party,' asked Kemi. 'And change course?' Sir Keir is probably weighing up his options. For now, he's not budging. If he were replaced, his successor would restore the fuel allowance on Day One.
Telegraph
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
The Tories need to fight out their internal battle or they are doomed
In time honoured fashion, the Tories and Labour have studied the drubbing they received last week and concluded that the public wants them to carry on as normal. We'll go 'further, faster', says Sir Keir. 'No lurch to the Right', insist the Conservatives. For Labour this is a reasonable bet: the economy might turn around, its vote isn't so divided (yet). But for the Tories, it's utter madness – a tone deaf, do-nothingness that will send them the way of the old Liberal Party and WH Smith. As with Smith's, the Tory brand is so moribund and confusing, I've forgotten what they used to sell. Paper? Council houses? Knighthoods and pens. Team Kemi's 'don't lose your head' argument does enjoy a superficial logic. They say: we can't copy Reform because Reform isn't real. In these local elections, it won a third of the vote on a third of the turnout, on a contradictory platform that fails scrutiny (cut taxes, raise welfare). Labour has sunk in the polls, too – because governing in the 21st century is jolly hard, thanks to an elderly population and sluggish growth, and Starmer proves that entering office promising the moon will lead to disappointment. Nevertheless, similarly awful, centre-left parties have won re-election in Canada and Australia. Why? Because the centre-right opposition allowed itself to be branded as Trumpian. In other words, when it comes to running the country, the voters will ultimately choose an impression of competence over Reform-style theatrics – a reality that will become clear at the next UK election, when Reform nominates Darren Grimes for home secretary (his nan would nae believe it). Moreover, echoing Reform would encourage some Tory MPs to defect to the Lib Dems. Therefore, unwilling or unable to embrace radical positions on immigration or net-zero, Kemi prefers to let her party evolve behind closed doors, via a policy negotiation process that will someday emerge onto the balcony as a fully-fledged 'plan'. The problem with this conclave style of politics is it cedes all publicity to Nigel Farage. Kemi only appears on television to explain why she has nothing to say and why it's rude of journalists to ask. In these tense confrontations, occasionally bordering on violence, one gets a flash of why grassroots Tories voted for her in October 2024. They thought they were getting a Nigerian-British woman who loves the country but can see its flaws, and has no fear in naming them. But her handlers, anticipating bad reviews among the critical voting blocs of Times columnists and Dr Who actors, decided to rein her majesty in and 'soften' her image. The result: an uncomfortable silence. You know Kemi wants to let rip; we can see what she's capable of from PMQs. But too often she lacks confidence or definition, and I for one am tired of being invited to press conferences to be given a lecture on 'the Kantian dualism in mass migration,' deploying philosophical reflection to disguise the absence of hard policy. Modern politics is an attention economy. For the past year, the Tories have chosen not to compete – and damage has plainly been done. The significance of the local elections is that in many parts of the country the Tories lost their historic position as the natural anti-Labour vote. Take my turf of Kent, where they went from 62 seats on Thursday night to just 5 in the morning; Reform is on 57. This was extraordinary. Even in 1993, when the Tories last lost the council at the height of Labour's revival, they still retained 41 councillors. I grew up believing Kentish politics operated somewhere to the Right of Mississippi, dominated by the blues with the occasional breakthrough for the reds in the coastal towns. But a revolution in voter psychology has taken effect. In the future, anyone who wishes to vote tactically to get rid of Keir Starmer, especially if they live east of the river Medway, will no longer automatically vote Tory: they might judge that Reform has a better chance. If sitting around praying for Reform to collapse doesn't fix things, the Tories could always offer a pact. This, of course, would acknowledge their diminished status, look desperate, and Nigel is likely to plot an amusingly public display of saying 'no'. So the only alternative is to court Reform voters and rebrand the party from top to bottom as populist and patriotic. The more liberal Tories fight back against this, the better. Have the battle and win it: their mass-defection to Ed Davey's clown show will confirm that the party has made a choice and is sticking to it. Tony Blair had his clause 4 moment. Keir Starmer expelled Jeremy Corbyn. The death of the old, Cameronian coalition of economic and social liberals is overdue anyway, because Brexit rendered it irrelevant. The day after that referendum, half the conservatives I grew up with became rabid nationalists, the other half bitter liberals – and the urban centre of my home town of Sevenoaks, once populated by Hyacinth Buckets, is now a mini Hoxton. They actually held a 'climate fair' on the green this weekend. I'm pleased to say it was freezing cold. Cutting one's losses among the joss-stick burning classes is the only way to build up votes elsewhere, and if gambling on a new message and a new demography feels temperamentally unconservative, remember that Peel did it, Disraeli did it and Thatcher did it, too. The paradox of conservatism is that it retains its identity, as the traditional party of governance, by changing – including its highest personnel. Which brings us to the final question: is Kemi best placed to revive the Tories? The local results suggest that so far she's failing, and it further weakens her position that the party has a viable alternative. After losing the leadership election, Rob Jenrick adopted the old trick of turning up to the office the next day and acting as if he got the job, issuing press releases, running marathons, taking senior but young-looking journalists to lunch, where he has impressed them with his analysis of the national crisis, his understanding of what needs to be done. All Kemi can say to fend off his implicit challenge is that to have five leaders within two years would look ridiculous – but the sad truth is that no one is looking anyway. While Reform is capturing the high street, like an invasion of Turkish barbers, the Tories are in danger of closing down for good.
Telegraph
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Kemi Badenoch ‘will not chase Farage to the Right'
Kemi Badenoch will not 'chase Reform to the right' despite suffering a historic defeat in Thursday's local elections, Conservative strategists have decided. The Conservative leader will resist calls to match Nigel Farage's policies for fear of political collapse in the style of right-wing parties in Australia and Canada. The decision comes amid rising disquiet from Badenoch's own MPs, who said she needed to set out a radical change of course within weeks to save her job. On Saturday night, some were calling for a shadow cabinet reshuffle, with one senior MP going further still and suggesting that she should stand down for the good of the party. Mr Farage rubbed salt in the wound today, writing in The Telegraph that the Tories 'will never recover' from their historic defeat at his hands. But allies rowed in behind her leadership and urged their colleagues to show patience as splits emerged over how to respond to the election result. Mrs Badenoch admitted that the Conservatives had suffered a 'bloodbath' in the elections, with anger over the party's record on immigration playing a key role. But it is understood she will resist calls to drastically change course. A Conservative strategist told The Telegraph: 'This week we've seen some of the global right's biggest long-term hopes in Canada's Pierre Poilievre and Australia's Peter Dutton not just lose, but even lose their seats in the process. 'This shows the danger of chasing populist parties like Reform to the right. Kemi wants to ensure the Conservatives don't suffer the same fate by taking her time and basing the offer on principles, not what looks superficially popular.' Mr Dutton, who leads the Right-wing Liberal Party of Australia, suffered an unexpected defeat at the hands of socialist Labor in Friday's election. Canada's Conservatives, led by Mr Poilievre, surrendered a massive 27-point lead in the polls to lose last week's general election to the Liberals. The party had long been seen as a shoo-in to form the next government, but was hit by a huge voter backlash against Donald Trump's trade tariffs. A senior Tory spokesman said Mrs Badenoch was not 'underestimating the scale of the renewal required' and urged MPs not to descend into infighting. 'Kemi will show the same energy she has displayed in the local campaign - visiting every single county with elections at least once, and some more than three times - as she seeks to win back lost seats,' he said. 'The Tories knew these would be a tough set of results, but they have also shown the sheer scale of contempt for Starmer and this failing Labour Government. 'This is an opportunity the Conservatives now must not miss by turning in on ourselves.' The spokesman said that the party's dire election results had 'woken up a lot of donors and supporters' to the electoral threat posed by Reform. It is understood that the Tories have received more than £500,000 in new donations since Thursday, swelling their coffers at a critical time. Mrs Badenoch is also expected to respond to the defeat at the hands of Reform with a series of new policy announcements over the coming weeks. She will start this week by challenging Labour to strengthen up online safety laws, raising the minimum age of access for social media sites from 13 to 16. The Tory leader is also readying an offensive on crime, amid expectations that Labour will announce it is scrapping shorter jail terms to free up prison space. But support among a number of Conservative MPs was ebbing on Saturday, with some accusing her of failing to communicate a vision to voters. Sir Edward Leigh, the Father of the House, said the Tories needed to take on Reform by being as 'tough' as Mr Farage on immigration and net zero. He said: 'It must be obvious to everybody now that we've got to do what the people want and have policies on net zero and immigration which are just as tough as Reform. 'And sooner or later, before the election, we've got to have an electoral alliance with them, otherwise we'll let Labour in the game. I think they're the views of many Tory MPs.' Sir Edward backed Mrs Badenoch to carry on, saying the party should concentrate on its policy offer and 'there's no point having endless leadership elections'. But other Tory MPs said the local election results showed that she should resign. 'I think the leader needs to go, I think she's lost the plot. She's not good enough and I think the people around her aren't good enough either,' one said. 'There's no vision at the moment and there's no leadership. We've allowed a void to open up and Nigel Farage has been able to move into it.' Another MP said that they and colleagues had been shocked by the scale of the party's losses on Thursday, which even took CCHQ by surprise. They said: 'There's a very high expectation that on digesting this there will be a set of actions to deal with it. You'd expect her to do a pretty quick reshuffle. 'She's got to show she means business and is actually serious about turning this around pretty much straight away, because the plan isn't working.' A Tory source said Reform 'keeps stealing our voters' and the leadership must act quickly 'to stem the bleed because we're just bleeding out'. But others backed Mrs Badenoch and said that any plotting against her was wrong. Lord Maude, a former chairman, said the party was 'a phoenix, not a dodo' and would rise from the ashes 'sooner than' people think under her leadership. He said she must resist the 'siren voices' urging her to 'cosy up to Reform', saying it was unrealistic to expect voters to have forgiven the Tories so quickly. 'There is no substitute for showing ourselves to be once again considered, thoughtful, competent and principled,' he wrote in The Telegraph. Another Tory MP said the party had suffered 'much more than a standard mid-term revolt' but said it was both main parties that were 'now in the last chance saloon'. They added: 'It would be disastrous to oust Kemi now. The public needs to see we are able to be a team and work together in pursuit of shared values.' Mr Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, has been touted by some MPs as a possible replacement but has publicly backed Mrs Badenoch's leadership. Meanwhile, Mr Farage said there was 'now a widespread acceptance that Reform UK has supplanted the Conservatives as the real opposition to Labour'. He said that 'we now live in a new political age' and 'the lesson for future elections is simple - if you vote Conservative, you will get Labour'. 'The party that I lead is expanding. As we march on, the Conservatives are in retreat. In my opinion, they will never recover,' he added.
