Kemi Badenoch’s rise to the leadership of the Conservative Party signals a renewed push for what she believes to be “True Conservatism”. Yet, as the party faces its worst electoral performance in years, the question arises: has she truly learned from Rishi Sunak’s mistakes, or is she about to repeat them?
Political defeats are rarely without their causes, and opposition parties often look to blame the mirror for their struggles. However, the Conservative Party has yet to squarely face its own responsibility in the matter. The recent leadership race offered little in the way of genuine reflection. Instead, it seemed more a performative exercise in avoiding accountability for the party’s prolonged missteps.
Badenoch’s victory represents an attempt to reignite the flame of Conservative values, framed around the idea that Britain has not rejected Tory ideology, but rather, suffered from a failure to enact it effectively. “We talked right but governed left,” she said, pointing to Rishi Sunak’s leadership. However, this analysis fails to address why so many Tory voters, disillusioned with party leadership, turned to Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
Defenders of Badenoch might argue that securing internal party support was necessary before engaging the wider public. After all, alienating a demoralised membership too soon could risk electoral defeat. However, her blunt candour—the essence of her leadership pitch—means that she really does believe Britain’s troubles stem from an excess of leftism that somehow flourished under a Tory government. This is a curious position for someone who sees figures like Boris Johnson, Theresa May, and even David Cameron as proponents of left-wing politics.
Badenoch’s position on this is made clearer in her recent speech in Washington, where she depicted a world where communism has cleverly disguised itself as virtue, using compassion for refugees and antiracism as its camouflage. For her, the rise of a new socialism is marked not by state control, but by a remote manipulation of lives through economic policies like interest rates and market regulation. It’s a worldview that has found traction in her speeches, particularly regarding the cultural war against “woke” ideology, which she perceives as a threat to free speech and western civilisation.
Her rhetoric touches on concerns over a growing public sector, where people demand the government solve all their problems. It is an argument many conservatives have made before, yet her approach seems to lack the nuance needed to garner public support for smaller government. The reality is that while there is genuine concern over high taxes and government inefficiency, Badenoch’s broad criticism risks alienating voters without offering a clear vision of what should be cut.
The Conservative Party faces increasing challenges from multiple fronts. On the right, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is gaining ground in the polls, threatening to fragment the party’s traditional base. Additionally, the Lib Dems continue to make inroads in former Tory strongholds. With voter volatility increasing, there is no longer the same predictability in elections as before. The Tories must now reckon with this fragmentation if they hope to rebuild.
Yet, instead of addressing the immediate issues at hand—such as the loss of votes to both the Lib Dems and Reform—Badenoch continues to focus on a cultural fight against perceived left-wing ideologies. While these arguments resonate with her base, they are unlikely to expand the party’s appeal. Moreover, her attacks on a phantom army of communists and “woke” ideologues distract from more pressing concerns, such as the party’s declining popularity among centrist voters.
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Badenoch’s vision appears increasingly at odds with the pragmatic demands of government. The Conservative Party’s recent years under Sunak were characterised by a struggle between practical governance and ideological purity. Badenoch now seems poised to lead the Tories into a similar quagmire. There is an intellectual rigidity to her plan that risks alienating the voters she needs the most—those who desire effective governance rather than ideological purity.
Perhaps she sees her alignment with Trump-style populism as the key to Conservative resurgence. But this approach, which amplifies anti-woke rhetoric and shrinks the state, risks further splitting the right, alienating former Tory voters and solidifying Labour’s dominance in the centre.
At present, it is unclear whether Badenoch’s brand of conservatism will succeed in capturing the imagination of the electorate. Her approach risks keeping the Conservative Party in a political no man’s land, unable to unite the left-leaning centrists with the right-wing base. Time will tell if she can carve out a path to success—or if the party’s fragmentation will continue.
