“Kemi is popular. We are trying to promote the rest of the shadow Cabinet to make sure that popularity rubs off on the rest of the party,” said one Badenoch staffer, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.
So far, it hasn’t worked.
“Badenoch’s success has still failed to translate into any meaningful movement in the polls for her party,” said Scarlett Maguire, founder of independent polling firm Merlin Strategy. “The Conservatives’ mediocre polling numbers, still worse than when they lost the 2024 election, shows the extent to which they have lost trust in their brand.”
New look conference
The party’s first big set piece moment this autumn will come when the Conservative Party meets for its annual conference in Birmingham at the beginning of October.
Badenoch’s performance at last year’s gathering marked the beginning of her transformation as party leader, and her team is hoping to repeat the trick by making this year’s conference more Badenoch-focused.
There will be less policy this year, according to one shadow minister familiar with the plans and also granted anonymity to speak freely.