Kemi Badenoch has said the upcoming local election results will not be a reflection of her leadership of the Conservative Party.
Thursday’s polls are Badenoch’s first electoral test since she became Tory leader, following her party’s defeat in last year’s general election.
The Conservatives currently hold about half the seats up for election, and Badenoch has acknowledged they could be “very challenging” for her party.
The Runcorn and Helsby by-election is also being held on 1 May, as well as six mayoral contests across devolved regions of the country.
Badenoch has now said the results should not be interpreted as a judgement on her leadership of the Conservative Party. She was elected Tory leader on 2 November 2024, and on Friday her tenure will total six months.
Ahead of the local elections Thursday, the Conservative leader was asked how she felt heading into her “first test”.
Badenoch told BBC Breakfast: “I’ve been travelling all around the country.
“My councillors and activists are working so hard, but we do know it’s going to be a very challenging result, because the last time we fought these elections, four years ago, we were riding on the vaccine bounce, winning seats off Labour like Hartlepool we’ve never won before, and there will be a correction to that.
“But I am reminding people that this week’s election are not an opinion poll — they’re about who’s going to run local services like adult social care or who’s going to fix the roads, and across the board, Conservative councils deliver.”
Asked if the results will be reflection of her own “popularity” as leader, Badenoch responded: “No”.
Speaking on Tuesday morning, she added: “We had a historic defeat last year, and it’s going to take some time for us to get back on track.
“I am working to rebuild public trust, letting the country know that the Conservative Party is under new leadership, but as we saw with previous oppositions, it took 14 years, 13 years and 18 years to come back.
“I’ve only been leader for six months. It’s going to take a while to fix the problems, which we had from last year. But what is really astonishing is how badly the government is doing.”
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.
Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.
