Latest news with #leadershipChallenge
The Independent
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Labour's ‘soft left' plan to replace Keir Starmer as PM
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces a potential leadership challenge amid growing discontent within the Labour Party. His recent U-turn on winter fuel payment cuts and controversial migration policies have fueled the rebellion, particularly among the "soft left." Allies of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner are urging her to contest the leadership, while Starmer faces criticism for his stance on Israel and welfare cuts. The party is trailing behind Reform UK in polls, with Labour voters defecting to the Lib Dems and Greens. May 2026 is seen as a potential turning point for Starmer's leadership, with upcoming elections in Scotland, Wales, and England posing a crucial test.
The Independent
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Kemi Badenoch facing ‘inevitable' leadership challenge as Tories battle dire poll ratings
Kemi Badenoch is facing an inevitable leadership challenge, Boris Johnson 's former director of communications has warned, amid reports that the Tory party is plotting to oust her. Guto Harri, who worked for Boris Johnson during his time in No 10, also warned the Conservatives against selecting frontrunner Robert Jenrick as their next leader, dubbing him a 'pale imitation' of Reform UK. Meanwhile, The Times reported that Tory association chairmen are considering a confidence motion against the Tory leader, which could mimic the pressure placed on former prime minister Theresa May to quit in 2019. Speaking to Times Radio, Mr Harri warned: 'I think we inevitably are heading for another leadership challenge. And the danger there is that the party makes the wrong decision again and chooses somebody like Robert Jenrick, who's a pale imitation of what Kemi Badenoch is trying to be a pale imitation of, which is, you know, Nigel Farage and reform. 'So if that is the trap that the party is caught in, then it's a real disaster.' Asked whether Mr Johnson should come back to lead the Conservative Party he said: 'The honest answer for me is I think if we had a directly elected presidency, and you could appeal to people over the heads of, you know, the Conservative Party, frankly, then Boris would be plotting a return. 'But that is not how our system works. And the relationship between him and the Conservative Party broke down in a really nasty, severe, I think, irretrievable way.' It comes after the Tories lost 15 councils and 674 seats at the local elections earlier this month - devastating results which put the future of the party at risk. At the same time, Nigel Farage declared his party has now taken the place of the Conservatives as the main opposition to Labour as it won 676 seats and overall control of 10 councils. Meanwhile, this week's tracker poll conducted by Techne UK for The Independent indicated a collapse in support for the Tories following the local elections. The Conservative Party, which was on 23 per cent before the May elections, has seen its support drop by six points in a month to 17 per cent, now just one point ahead of the Lib Dems on 16 per cent. And Nigel Farage 's Reform UK hit 30 per cent for the first time, ahead of Labour on 22 points. Mr Jenrick, who came second in the summer Tory leadership race behind Mrs Badenoch, is thought to be waiting in the wings to launch another leadership bid should she be challenged. However, this became less likely in November after Conservative MPs made it harder to get rid of the party's leader by changing the rules for calling a vote of no confidence. Under party rules, Tory MPs can call for a confidence vote in the party leader by writing to Bob Blackman, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee. But after the election of Mrs Badenoch, Mr Blackman said that his committee had earlier in the week increased the minimum number of letters required to trigger a vote, from 15 per cent of the parliamentary party to a third. That means 41 letters will now be required to trigger a vote, rather than 19.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
The problem isn't Kemi, it's the Tory Party
The knives are out for Kemi Badenoch following a recent poll that put the Conservatives in a dismal fourth place behind the Liberal Democrats. It is perfectly natural that politicians of whatever party consider who might be best placed to maximise the number of seats their party might win at the next election and therefore maximise the number of votes they themselves might secure at the ballot box. So far, so logical. But this is where the Conservative Party starts to lose its bearings and, frankly, its senses. It all began with Margaret Thatcher. It was she who started off this modern Tory fashion for challenging incumbent leaders. Until 1975, nothing of the sort had ever happened before, but only because the mechanism for electing leaders in the first place had only been in existence for a decade. The oldest and most successful political party in the world had only introduced election for its leaders in 1965, and it is perhaps significant that the first elected leader of the party – Edward Heath – was also the first leader to have been usurped from that position by a rival. And the period of relative peace between Thatcher and her back benches from 1975 until 1989 was only ensured by the three consecutive general election victories she delivered, an element which Badenoch does not have at her disposal. The party's MPs have grown used, since the late 1980s, to leadership challenges and changes, but few would conclude that a system that even allows for such challenges to destabilise successive governments can have had a positive impact on its electoral appeal. The idiocy of switching leaders so frequently seems to have become almost instinctive among Tory MPs, and certainly expected by a ravenous media. The Conservatives now behave like one of Pavlov's dogs, pressing a paw down on the button marked 'vote of confidence' whenever it hears the bell signalling a disappointing polling result. Might it not make more sense for the party – particularly its MPs, who have the sole power to trigger a leadership election – to consider a few other factors rather than obsess about the short-term fluctuations of voters' opinions? First, where is the stock-take of the Tories' 14 years in office? Has anyone even dared to suggest where things might have gone wrong, what actions and policies have earned them the disdain of the electorate which resulted in their humiliation last July? Second, once such a stock-take has been completed and conclusions drawn, what should the party now be for? What is its aim? What kind of country does it want to shape, to lead? What are its priorities? And how should it deal with Reform? As far as can be seen so far, none of these questions has been answered, nor has any attempt been made to atone for the disastrous record of the 2010-2024 Government. Third, who could replace Badenoch? It is not enough to moan about the success, or lack thereof, of the incumbent. Labour MPs did that, fruitlessly, in the last two years of Gordon Brown's premiership, but in the absence of someone willing to stand as an alternative, the 'rebellion' against him never stood a chance. Where is the alternative to Badenoch and, more urgently, why does he believe he would do any better than she? What unique perspective would he bring to the leadership that Badenoch has set her face against? Where is the polling evidence that he (or, conceivably, she) would be significantly more popular and inspiring than what the party already has? Such a candidate should have to demonstrate that another change in leadership in his favour would generate more than a mere handful of percentage points added to the Conservatives' current disastrous polling. But there is an alternative analysis: Badenoch, or indeed any potential leader, is not the problem. The problem is the party itself. Having become comfortable as the only centre-Right alternative to the Labour Party, the Tories fell into the old Harold Wilson trap of assuming that conservatism was whatever a Conservative government did. Record immigration? Record high taxation? Unprecedented interference in individuals' lifestyle choices? The unleashing of gender ideology across the civil service and the public sector? By conventional assessment, none of it was 'conservative'. But it was certainly Conservative, because it all happened under that party's watch. Was that record a giant, unintended mistake? Or was it all unavoidable, with ministers in Whitehall unable to escape their civil servants' influence? If the latter is the case, then perhaps the Tories are, after all, better consigned to history. They had a good run, they played an essential role in the political and societal development of this nation, but their time has come to an end. If the former, if mistakes made can be admitted, apologised for and new policy solutions developed that will repair the damage, then maybe – and it's a huge maybe – the voters will one day give them another chance to make amends. In which case, the replacement of Badenoch will make zero difference to the task the Conservatives have before them. Another leadership challenge, another vote by permanently disgruntled party members, will be seen, accurately, as just another spasm of self-interest, the indulgence of a party that has come to the end of its useful existence.
News.com.au
09-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Senator Matt Canavan to challenge David Littleproud for Nationals leadership
Queensland Nationals' Senator Matt Canavan is challenging for the leadership of the National Party as the Liberal Party punches on to find a new leader. Senator Canavan has confirmed he will challenge Nationals' leader, David Littleproud at a party room meeting in Canberra on Monday. It follows the shock defection of Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to the Liberals. The coming week is shaping as something of an electoral bloodbath for the Coalition, with the Liberal Party set to vote on a new leader on Tuesday. Writing in The Australian Senator Canavan wrote, 'I plan to stand for the leadership of the Nationals party to bring back our fighting spirit. 'Only if we fight, will we have a fighting chance,'' he said. 'David Littleproud can be enormously proud of his role in defeating the Voice, putting nuclear power on the agenda and having divestiture powers adopted as Coalition policy for the first time. 'But this debate is not about protecting his job or mine. This is about fighting for the jobs and livelihoods of the many people we represent. Many of the people that vote for the Nationals party have to shower after work, not before it.' Senator Canavan has been a protege of Barnaby Joyce who is taking time out while he battled prostate cancer. He has also been one of the strongest critics of Senator Price dumping the party to sit with the Liberals. 'By doing this Jacinta is the Lidia Thorpe of the Coalition … before the votes are even counted, she's switched to another side,' Nationals Senator Matt Canavan said. '(Senator Nampijinpa Price) has disenfranchised the voter, disappointed the members of the Country Liberal Party, she used Nationals Party funds to elect herself and before she's even elected she's turned around. If he wins Senator Canavan could put new pressure on the Coalition agreement because he's an outspoken supporter of nuclear power and an issue the Liberals may wish to dump after the election result. 'Our plan should be based on how we can save the country, not save the party,'' Senator Canavan said. 'I am standing for my party's leadership so that I can tell my kids I did everything I could to fight for a better life for them. 'The plan we took to the last election was rejected. We need a new plan. I have been arguing for a different approach ever since we signed up to net zero. So, I believe that I am in a stronger position to prosecute change. 'We should scrap the futile and unachievable goal of net zero emissions by 2050. Net zero makes everything more expensive and it is not helping the environment given that the US, China and India are no longer even paying lip service to it. 'The primary goal of our electricity system should be to reduce power bills not reduce emissions,' he said. Senator Canavan took to Facebook Live shortly after the column published to update his followers. The Deputy Nationals' Leader, Senator Perin Davey is also leaving after she was dumped to a losing spot on the NSW Senate ticket below two Liberals. The Nationals failed to win back the NSW seat of Calare from former Nationals' MP, Andrew Gee, who resigned from the party and won the seat as an independent. Jacinta Price emerges as shock candidate for Liberals deputy role The prominent anti-Voice Senator Jacinta Price campaigner dropped a bombshell on Thursday revealing that she will move to sit with the Liberal Party in an effort to 'rebuild' the party after a blustering election loss. 'I am eager to fight for the best interests of all Australians as part of the Coalition,' Senator Nampijinpa Price said in a statement. 'I believe I will be more effective in this regard if I am a member of the Liberal Party, especially as the party faces a significant rebuild after Saturday. As a Country Liberal senator from the Northern Territory, she has the choice whether to sit in the party room of the Liberal Party of the Coalition partner the Nationals. Traitor attack While her defection is a huge coup for the Liberals her move has enraged the Nationals who called it the act of a 'traitor'. The Nationals are already set to lose their deputy leader Perin Davey after the election result and the defection could mean the party loses its 'major party status' in the Senate. While it isn't clear yet she is running on a ticket with Liberal Angus Taylor, Mr Taylor quickly moved to note he was 'delighted' by Senator Nampijinpa Price's decision describing her as a 'tireless advocate for Liberal values and a good friend'. 'Jacinta will be another strong voice at a time the Liberal Party must rebuild,' he posted on Twitter. Senator Price and abortion stance Last year, senior Coalition women rebuked Senator Nampijinpa Price's comments about abortion after she suggested she cannot support any abortion over 12 weeks of gestation. Sussan Ley, Jane Hume and Bridget McKenzie – three of the most senior female members of the Liberal and National parties – warned that a 'Coalition government has no plans, no policy and no interest in unwinding women's reproductive rights'. Senator Nampijinpa Price has told the Nine newspapers she 'cannot agree' with later term abortions, which she claimed was 'anywhere past the (first) trimester as far as I'm concerned … Full-term becomes infanticide'. Liberal MPs welcome Senator Price Moments following her statement, prominent Liberal senator James Paterson, who is regarded as an ally of Mr Taylor in the leadership tussle, welcomed the switch. But the decision has clearly angered Nationals Leader David Littleproud. 'The Nationals negotiated an extra position in the Shadow Cabinet before the election, to give Senator Nampijinpa Price a promotion and Shadow Ministerial opportunity,' Mr Littleproud said. 'The Nationals were the first to lead the 'No' case in relation to the Voice, backing Senator Nampijinpa Price early and before anyone else did. 'I appreciate Senator Nampijinpa Price has ambition that extends beyond the possibilities of The Nationals and I wish her well. 'The Liberals will need to rebuild after Saturday's election and Senator Nampijinpa Price will play a key role in that recovery, while The Nationals are proud to have kept all of our Lower House seats.'
