In a momentous day for British politics, the Conservative Party is set to announce its new leader, with the final two candidates – Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick – eagerly awaiting the results. The winner will not only take the helm of the party but also become the new Leader of the Opposition, tasked with holding the Labour government to account. The stakes could not be higher.
A Divided Party Seeks Unity
The leadership contest has laid bare the deep divisions within the Conservative Party, with the candidates representing vastly different visions for the party’s future. Badenoch, a rising star known for her uncompromising stance on cultural issues, has pitched herself as the candidate to lead a renewed war against “woke” ideology. Jenrick, meanwhile, has focused on populist policies like withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights and slashing immigration.
Despite their differences, both candidates have stressed the need for unity in the face of a resurgent Labour Party. In her final pitch to members, Badenoch declared:
We must come together as a party and as a country. Only by putting aside our differences and rallying behind a shared vision can we hope to win back the trust of the British people.
Jenrick struck a similar tone, promising to be a “leader for all Conservatives” and urging the party to focus on the “real enemy” – Keir Starmer’s Labour.
Cleverly Declines Shadow Cabinet Role
In a surprising development, former leadership contender James Cleverly announced that he will not serve in the shadow cabinet of either Badenoch or Jenrick. Cleverly, seen as a unifying figure, was knocked out in the final ballot of MPs despite winning the “beauty contest” at the party conference.
According to a close source, Cleverly feels he can best support the new leader from the backbenches, working to heal the rifts in the party. His decision is a blow to whoever emerges victorious, as they will now have an even smaller pool of talent to draw from in forming their top team.
Public Remains Skeptical
Whoever wins, they will face an uphill battle in winning over a skeptical public. A new YouGov poll suggests that both Badenoch and Jenrick are deeply unpopular with the public at large, with more voters disliking them than liking them.
- Only 12-13% of Britons have a favorable view of either candidate
- 45% have an unfavorable view of Badenoch, up from 37% in July
- 40% have an unfavorable view of Jenrick, up from 27%
The poll also found that voters overwhelmingly prefer Keir Starmer as Prime Minister over either Conservative candidate. Starmer led Badenoch by 20 points and Jenrick by 18 points when voters were asked who would make the best PM.
Truss Blames Sunak for Defeat
As the party looks to the future, recriminations over the past continue. In a scathing attack on her successor Rishi Sunak, former Prime Minister Liz Truss has blamed him for the Conservatives’ historic defeat in the recent general election.
In an extract from the upcoming paperback edition of her memoirs, Truss accuses Sunak of being “fundamentally dishonest about illegal immigration, taxes, growth and inflation” during his short premiership. She also lashes out at Conservative MPs, saying they refused to remove Sunak because they “shared his belief in the establishment narrative”.
It wasn’t so much survival of the fittest as survival of the wettest.
– Liz Truss on Conservative MPs who backed Rishi Sunak
Truss’s intervention is a stark reminder of the bitter divisions that the new leader will have to overcome as they attempt to rebuild the party in opposition.
The Road Ahead
As Conservative members await the result, thoughts are already turning to the monumental task that awaits the victor. With the party at its lowest ebb in decades, the new leader will need to:
- Unite a fractured party around a coherent vision
- Develop a policy platform that can appeal to a broad swathe of the electorate
- Restore public trust in the Conservative brand
- Provide effective opposition to Keir Starmer’s government
- Begin the long process of rebuilding the party infrastructure and replenishing its depleted coffers
It is a daunting undertaking, but one that the new leader must embrace with vigor and determination. The future of the Conservative Party, and indeed the health of British democracy, may well depend on their success.
As the final votes are tallied and the result prepared, the atmosphere in Conservative Campaign Headquarters is one of nervous anticipation mixed with weary resignation. For a party that has grown accustomed to the trappings of power, the reality of opposition will be a hard adjustment. But it is an adjustment they must make if they are to have any hope of reclaiming the trust of the British people and, one day, returning to government.
For now, all eyes are on the stage where the next chapter in the Conservative Party’s long and storied history will be written. Will it be Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick who takes up the mantle of leadership? Only time will tell. But one thing is certain: whoever emerges victorious will have their work cut out for them in the months and years ahead.
