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New Statesman
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Statesman
Kemi Badenoch is in a hole – and she keeps digging
Photo byLabour MPs have a lot to be depressed about. The euphoria as more than 400 of them swept into parliament in July dissipated at a speed as historic as their election win. Not only has the party dropped into the polls to levels of public support not seen since before the 2019 election, but MPs who entered parliament full of ideals and optimism have had to stomach an endless string of policy announcements – from scrapping the winter fuel allowance to disability benefit cuts to the tightening of migration rules – that feel fundamentally at odds with what they went into politics to achieve. (These two things, one Labour MP wryly suggested, might in fact be connected.) But there is one thing that keeping Labour spirits from collapsing entirely. And that is the Leader of the Opposition. 'She cheers us up every week,' one Labour MP said of Kemi Badenoch's sparring matches against Keir Starmer at PMQs. Another pointed out how visibly more relaxed the Prime Minister seems in his weekly Commons performances, loosening up enough to tell jokes that actually land and at times looking like he even enjoys the experience. The list of frustrations Conservative MPs have with their leader is growing – but right at the top are her efforts at PMQs. Badenoch frequently chooses to ignore the headline issue of the day to focus either on pet projects inspired by the right-wing Twittersphere (the details of which sometimes come back to haunt her), or on areas where justifiable criticism of Labour opens her up to counter-attacks about the Tories' own record. She seems incapable of taking advantage of moments where Starmer is obviously under pressure from his own MPs, and – as last week's reaction (or lack thereof) to the announcement of a U-turn on winter fuel cuts showed – has an uncanny ability to miss open goals. Tories – even those critical to Badenoch – are quick to point out the impossibility of her situation, attempting to rebuild a party from the ashes when there is an insurgent challenger on the right consuming all the airtime. There is general consensus that no one in that position would be doing well at this stage in a parliament, and that the party needs time to recover. But at the same time, Badenoch is making a bad situation worse – from interviews where the main takeaway is that she hates sandwiches to the recent row over use of a private car and driver as when she was trade secretary. (The fact Badenoch is reported to once again be unhappy about the car arrangements provided to her as opposition leader is, one Tory source despaired, an unforced error of 'galactic proportions'.) Overall, the mood is one of dismay that, the 'box office' firebrand who was meant to terrify Starmer has proved such a disappointment. Labour figures, however, had a very different perception of Badenoch before she became leader. Contrary to what was breathlessly written in Telegraph columns, the candidate they really feared was James Cleverly, who was considered 'the most dangerous opponent' for a variety of reasons: his likeability within the party and ability to unite the Tories and boost morale after a defeat; his skill at media; and his pitch to bring the Conservatives towards the centre ground, rather than chasing Reform. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe One Labour MP recalls a 'palpable sense of elation' in the Commons tearoom when the shock announcement came that Cleverly had been knocked out of the contest (thanks to a vote-swapping debacle), leaving Badenoch to face Robert Jenrick in a head-to-head of Conservative members. The relief was felt among both Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs that the biggest threat to them had been eliminated. Jenrick is viewed as the de facto successor if Badenoch is ousted – a point Starmer made at PMQs recently by congratulating those who had run the London marathon and joking that the shadow justice secretary was 'still running'. Labour MPs have mixed views of Jenrick's chances of reviving the official opposition. One suggested he might be a bit 'slicker' on TV, and Jenrick's work ethic was mentioned (he's been all over the country since the election, doing hundreds of events with Conservative groups while Badenoch's reputation for being 'lazy' is only growing). But no one thought this would be enough to solve the Tories' problems. That's in part because the biggest problem for the Conservatives is Reform – and another leader attempting to be 'Farage-lite' will do nothing to neutralise that threat. And it's a threat, of course, that applies to Labour too. Labour MPs began noticing the shift in Starmer's attitude even before the Prime Minister said he considered Reform to be the government's main opposition. Planted questions at PMQs have enabled Starmer to take aim at Farage, on issues ranging from workers' rights to green jobs, and he rarely misses an opportunity to connect Reform to the economic calamity of Liz Truss. The Prime Minister gave an entire speech on that subject on Thursday, accusing Farage of 'the same fantasy' as Truss after the Reform leader announced a slate of policies earlier in the week that would add tens of billions to government spending. Farage, Starmer argued, was 'Truss 2.0'. The Lib Dems have gone for the even catchier line 'Trussonomics on steroids'. Where does all this leave Badenoch? As effectively irrelevant, I was told by a Labour source – which could be both a blessing and a curse. 'We're torn between wanting her to stay because of how bad she is, and hoping the Conservatives improve because that might put some pressure on Reform.' It's unclear what form such improvement could take. It's hard to see who on the opposition benches could be a leader who takes the Tories back into government (the names being floated – by both Labour and Tory figures – have only been in parliament a matter of months). There was doubt among Labour MPs that Cleverly would ever make it in a vote among the Tory membership (speculation that might not be accurate, I was told by a Reform source, who wondered whether the exodus of Conservative members to Nigel Farage's party might have changed the membership so radically Cleverly would have a much better chance now than in October). The suggestion of a Boris Johnson comeback was greeted with laughter ('Good luck to him'). But even with the lack of options, Labour figures said they expected the Tories to get frustrated and find a way to oust Badenoch, if not by the end of the year then around the time of next May's local elections. However bad the polls are for Labour, they are worse for the Conservatives, one MP pointed out, flagging the 'extinction-level' poll that put the Tories in fourth place. 'Kemi is getting nowhere.' [See also: Inside the Conservative Party's existential spiral] Related
Spectator
5 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Badenoch needs to be brutally honest with voters
If you think the Tories' problems would be solved if they ditched Kemi Badenoch and turned to any of the mooted replacements – or indeed to anyone else – then I have a bridge to sell you. When you're booted out of office less than a year ago because the public despise you – because they think you stand for nothing, are disastrously useless, and are incapable of telling the truth about anything – then the idea that you just need to be a bit better at social media memes and appear on a few more TV interviews is risible. The truth is that even on their current 16 per cent, it's not clear that the Conservatives have yet hit their floor. Reform is soaring ahead and the Lib Dems have effectively replaced the party in much of the south.
Epoch Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
What's Next for Poilievre After Election Loss
News Analysis As if expecting the knives to come out to force Pierre Poilievre out as leader after the Conservatives failed to win the April 28 election, the Tory leader's top lieutenants came to his defence within hours of the result. Deputy Leader Melissa Scheer himself was effectively ousted after losing the 2019 election, stepping down amid insider leaks to the media casting him in a negative light. His successor Erin O'Toole was similarly ousted for losing the 2021 election, in that instance by a vote in caucus. In his 'It will be an honour to continue to fight for you and to be a champion of your cause,' he said on stage at the Rogers Centre in downtown Ottawa while standing with his wife, Anaida, who played a major role in his campaign. Related Stories 4/30/2025 4/29/2025 But the loss of Poilievre's riding of Carleton added to the uncertainty of what the different factions in the Tories' big-tent coalition could have in store for him in a party notorious for short-lived leaders. As a broad coalition composed of different ideological leanings ranging from social conservatives to red Tories, libertarians, progressive conservatives, and others, the Conservative Party finds unity more an aspiration than a given. On election night, Poilievre highlighted the gains the party made. The Conservatives increased their share of the national vote to 41 percent from 34 percent in the 2021 election—a level not seen since the 1988 election, as pointed out by Poilievre—and the party added 25 seats, though recounts in close races could change the outcome somewhat. Charles Bird, a principal with Earnscliffe Strategies, says the increased votes and seats could support the case for Poilievre's continued leadership in the eyes of the party faithful. 'If they were successful in limiting the Liberals to a minority—albeit a robust minority—that likely bodes well for his continued leadership,' Bird said in an interview. On the other hand, he said, there will be those in the party pointing out that it was under his leadership that the Tories failed to win while just a few months ago they were leading in the polls by a large margin. That all changed with the Trump presidency, Justin Trudeau's resignation as prime minister, and the emergence of Mark Carney as Liberal leader. Tim Powers, chair of public affairs consulting firm Summa Strategies, also says that Poilievre will be facing 'choppy waters' as he tries to maintain his leadership post-election. 'How he handles the accountability that's going to be expected of him, along with navigating how he gets a seat in Parliament, are going to be two of the immediate challenges he faces that will shape whether he stays or goes,' Powers told The Epoch Times. Seeking a Seat There have been many cases of a new leader of a party not having a seat in the national and provincial legislatures. Carney himself was in this position after taking over from Trudeau. But as incumbents go, the long-ruling Liberal Prime Minister MacKenzie King, who lost his seat in the 1925 election, asked his MP in the Liberal-safe riding of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, to step down so he could take that seat in a byelection, which he succeeded in doing. And in British Columbia in 2013, Premier Christy Clark lost in her riding of Vancouver-Point Grey despite her party winning the election. However, she ran in a byelection two months later and won after MLA Ben Stewart stepped down. 'I could see somebody stepping down for [Poilievre], or if there's a byelection, he's very well positioned to win,' Nelson Wiseman, political science professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, said in an interview. The question is which Conservative MP would be willing to give up his or her seat for Poilievre to run. Additionally, it would be Carney, as the prime minister, who decides when that byelection would be held, and that could take many months. Directions Even before the election, there were already reports of During the Nova Scotia provincial election in November, PC Premier Tim Houston said he wouldn't be inviting Poilievre to campaign with him as he (Houston) is not a member of any federal party, while anonymous sources within the parties told the media of tensions between the two parties. When asked if he thinks the federal Tories should shift direction, Houston told reporters on April 30 that 'there are many shades of blue,' and that the Conservative Party 'can be an effective big tent.' 'After four consecutive losses to the Liberal Party, I think it's time for them to do some soul searching,' he said. In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford's campaign manager Kory Teneycke during the election campaign publicly accused Poilievre's team of 'campaign malpractice' for blowing their lead in the polls, while Ford told the media that the Tories would have fared better if they'd had Teneycke as campaign manager. 'Sometimes the truth hurts,' the premier said. Ford himself recently won a third consecutive majority government, with his campaign focused heavily on standing up to U.S. President Donald Trump, similar to the federal Liberals. Over the years, he has in some cases moved considerably away from the right-of-centre policies he campaigned on as PC leader before becoming premier. For example, Ford had promised to overhaul the provincial sex-education curriculum during the 2018 campaign. Once in power, as his government made attempts at revisions, it became mired in court challenges by activist groups, attracting heavy negative media coverage. In the end, his government maintained the bulk of the curriculum material that parental groups had expressed concerns about. As well, during the pandemic, he ousted MPP Rick Nicholls from caucus for refusing to get vaccinated at a time when media was highly focused on such issues, while But if Ford's advice for the federal Tory leadership is to aim for the more populist policies and campaigning that may be at odds with the party's ideological inclinations, previous leader O'Toole didn't find that a successful strategy. O'Toole campaigned as being 'true blue' during the 2020 Conservative leadership race, but later, under criticism by the opposing parties and amid negative media coverage, introduced a form of carbon pricing and also reversed course on opposing the Liberal ban on certain types of guns. Following the party's loss in the 2021 election, the first public request from inside the Tory caucus for O'Toole's removal came from Conservative Senator Denise Batters. Batters said in a petition for O'Toole's ouster that he had reversed position on 'the carbon tax, on firearms, on conscience rights,' and that winning 'without principles is pointless.' O'Toole was removed from his position as party leader in February 2022, with 73 out of 118 MPs voting in favour. David Leis, president of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, says the real direction for the Conservatives should be presenting a 'principled policy vision' for Canada. He says the recent election was 'extraordinary' due to much of the NDP vote going to the Liberals and given the 'psychology of the nation' in light of the Trump presidency. 'That was something that I really don't think anyone would have anticipated,' he told The Epoch Times. He says another significant challenge that the Conservatives need to figure out a solution for is the role of the media and the importance of balanced reporting, which influences voter decision. He says this is overshadowed by promises of government funding and the questions of 'conflict of interest' it raises. 'These are important matters of healthy debate and discussion that serve democracy,' Leis said. For his part, Teneycke says he believes Poilievre finished 'strong enough' to be able to have the support needed to stay on as leader, according to The 'My view is he's not going anywhere,' said Teneycke, who was former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper's director of communications before joining Ford's team.
Spectator
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Will Labour's uniform cap hit pupil performance?
It is the perennial question of British politics: who is next in the ministerial sack race? For a while, it seemed, the answer was Bridget Phillipson – the minister waging a one-woman-war on the Tories' school reforms. But today, the Times suggests that the Education Secretary has been told her job is safe, citing private text messages from Keir Starmer. That means she can press on with her Schools Bill which includes, among other measures, plans to limit the number of branded uniforms items schools can insist on. This cap is being hailed as a way of keeping costs down – but Mr S wants to know if it will affect pupil performance. After all, as the Bill's own impact assessment proudly boasts:
North Wales Chronicle
14-05-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
Government supports ‘controlled' youth movement schemes, minister says
Ahead of the UK-EU summit next week, backbench Labour MPs pressed the Government to agree a youth mobility scheme, arguing 'we owe it to our younger generation'. Meanwhile, the Conservatives warned a scheme of this sort could 'disadvantage young British workers' who are 'already struggling'. Speaking in the Commons, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said: 'We are taking serious action to reduce net migration, but we support controlled schemes that create opportunities for young people to experience different cultures, travel and work.' The UK currently has youth mobility schemes in place with countries including Australia and Canada, which place a limit on the number of visas that can be issued and restrict those visas to two years. During the Tories' opposition day debate on the summit, Labour MP Tom Hayes called for a 'capped, controlled, balanced youth mobility scheme' with the EU. The Bournemouth East MP said: 'Surely, we owe it to our younger generation to provide them with some of the conditions that will allow for a better life, and a capped, balanced, controlled youth mobility scheme is key to that.' He added: 'We are living in an insecure world. Britain's soft power is so critical to ensuring that we are respected around the world. 'By bringing people to the UK and particularly to sunny Bournemouth for one to two weeks or four to six weeks before they go home, they get a sense of how wonderful, how open, how accepting we are as a country.' Labour MP Catherine Fookes (Monmouthshire) said she had spent two years in France, as part of the Erasmus scheme, before adding: 'I would really like to see, and the businesses in my constituency would like to see, a return to some kind of youth exchange scheme, that I managed to benefit from.' The Liberal Democrats' Europe spokesman James MacCleary said the party should sign the agreement to give young people greater opportunities. He said: 'The Government must immediately introduce a youth mobility scheme. Our young people deserve the same European opportunities previous generations, many represented in these benches, enjoyed themselves. 'The Tories' obstinately refused this approach and Labour has so far flip-flopped on the issue. We have existing schemes with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Canada, but not with our nearest neighbours. 'Our young people don't deserve this short-sightedness, they deserve access to opportunities across Europe.' Speaking from the frontbench, shadow business minister Andrew Griffith said: 'The wrong type of youth mobility scheme would disadvantage young British workers, who are already – thanks to this Government – struggling to get their foot on the ladder for a job, again, unemployment up today, or able to secure a roof over their head in Britain's housing market. 'And what part of the Government's objective is to make it harder for our young people?' Conservative former minister Sir John Hayes also warned against a youth mobility scheme, saying 'young people across the entire continent will want to travel here'. He told the Commons: 'Whilst it may be understandable that people want to wax lyrical about young people being able to travel across the continent, what they say less enthusiastically, or perhaps they don't say at all, is that young people across the entire continent will want to travel here. 'And until we know the terms of that, that could easily mean those people competing with Britons for scarce jobs.' The MP for South Holland and The Deepings later added: 'I don't want people in my country to have to compete for education places, for training places, for other opportunities with a large number, and we could be talking about tens of thousands of people, entering the country by these means. 'And there will be suspicions that it is the beginning of a return to free movement.' Earlier in the debate, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said the Government will not reintroduce freedom of movement, the customs union or single market with the European Union. He told MPs: 'Driven by our ruthlessly pragmatic approach, next Monday's UK/EU summit will be the first of annual summits between the UK and EU. It will be a day of delivery. 'Delivering on our manifesto, not returning to the customs union, single market or freedom of movement, or revisiting the arguments of 2016.' He added: 'Trade, security, defence and other areas of our relationship should never be treated as a zero-sum game. It is possible to deliver on all fronts and that is exactly what this Government is doing. 'So, I look forward to turning the page next week as we forge a new strategic partnership with our European friends, making Brexit work in the interests of the British people, we are stepping up and meeting the moment, making people safer, more secure and delivering growth. Delivering in our national interest, which is what this Government will do.' MPs voted 104 to 402, majority 298 to reject the Conservatives' motion which stated the Government should 'put the national interest first and not to row back on Brexit, for example by re-introducing free movement through a EU youth mobility scheme'. MPs also voted 321 to 102, majority 219 in support of the Prime Minister's amendment which noted the 'overwhelming mandate on which the Government was elected which included resetting the United Kingdom's relationship with the European Union'.
