Kemi Badenoch appoints new shadow cabinet: who’s in and who’s out
Kemi Badenoch has overhauled her shadow cabinet with a series of new appointments. The Conservative leader reshuffled her top team after James Cleverly, the former shadow housing secretary, stood down from the party’s frontbench in order to announce his campaign to stand as mayor of London. Among the casualties of Badenoch’s reshuffle were Mel Stride, […]
Starmer is governed by polls, not principles – voters can sense it
Politics once moved at the pace of persuasion. A leader would make a case, tour the country, take questions, debate opponents – and then wait weeks or months to see whether the argument had landed. That rhythm is gone. Now every morning begins with another batch of numbers: headline voting intentions, leader ratings, favourability trackers, […]
Week-in-Review: Starmer and Badenoch repel their pretenders – for now
It took the power of Andy Burnham’s example to tame Robert Jenrick. Expectations heading into the Conservative Party’s annual conference suggested the shadow justice secretary would continue to strut his stuff in front of his activist admirers. But Jenrick, by his usual insubordinate standards, was a model of servility. For this, Kemi Badenoch likely has […]
Three out of five people think Keir Starmer does not respect them, poll suggests
A significant majority of the British public, 63 per cent, believe prime minister Keir Starmer does not respect people like them, marking a dramatic reversal in sentiment since the 2024 general election, a new poll indicates. The concept of “respect” was a central pillar of Starmer’s successful pitch in opposition. However, a report published by […]
‘Deluded’: Conservatives condemned after strategist says party has ‘done the apologies’
The Conservatives stand accused of being “completely deluded” after the party’s strategy chief claimed they have “done the apologies”. Baroness Maclean, one of Kemi Badenoch’s closest political allies, told supporters that the Conservatives had “done the mea culpas” in a leaked speech. According to a report in the Telegraph, Baroness Maclean said the previous government […]
Phillips: Conservatives would not be ‘interested’ in grooming gangs ‘without Elon Musk’
Jess Phillips has accused senior Conservative politicians of only recently taking an interest in the grooming gangs scandal due to the influence of tech billionaire Elon Musk. Speaking after the government announced a national inquiry into grooming gangs, Phillips, who serves as safeguarding minister, claimed that Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and shadow home secretary Chris […]
Kemi Badenoch ‘increasingly’ supports leaving ECHR as she issues ultimatum
Kemi Badenoch will declare she is “increasingly of the view” that the UK needs to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in a significant speech setting out the Conservative Party’s path to a “clear plan”. In an address Friday, the Tory leader will stop short of a firm commitment to withdraw, but will […]
Robert Jenrick: the Conservative who gets opposition politics
Another week, another to-camera video courtesy of Robert Jenrick. Last week, the onetime Conservative leadership candidate’s agenda-setting vigilantism, as he intercepted “fare dodgers” on the London Underground, was a remarkable success. By whatever measure — social media clicks, column inches, broadcast commentary — Jenrick chalked up a genuine win. The lively broadside was the logical […]
Badenoch told Rupert Lowe defection would see Tories ‘move even further to the extremes’
Kemi Badenoch has been challenged to urgently rule out the defection of former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe to the Conservative Party. The Liberal Democrats have seized on a report that Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary and onetime Tory leadership candidate, held a meeting with Lowe at a private members club in Mayfair last […]
Conservative Party slumps to fourth behind Lib Dems, new poll shows
The survey looks set to increase pressure on Kemi Badenoch after her party’s historically poor performance at the local elections.
