Passionate, combative and forthright – Kemi Badenoch appears to have got her mojo back. The Tory leader was back to her best during this morning’s TV grilling on the BBC.
She needs to be on day one of the Conservative’s annual conference with her party languishing in the polls. Mrs Badenoch is facing criticism for a slow first year at the helm which has allowed a Nigel Farage blitzkrieg to make Reform UK the dominant force on the Right of British politics.
But if her 20-minute interview by Laura Kuenessberg is anything to go by, then Tory supporters should be hopeful that the fightback starts here in Manchester, where the four-day conference begins today.
Even Ben Houchen, the Tees Valley Mayor and vocal critic of Mrs Badenoch, said “more of that please” after witnessing the interview in which she rammed home new red meat policies on tougher border controls, scrapping the Climate Change Act and quitting the ECHR.
Mrs Badenoch boldly predicted that her plan will eventually come to fruition and see her winning the next general election and becoming Prime Minister.
Asked about getting trumped by Farage in the past few months she insisted that a drop in the polls because of her thorough and thoughtful approach is a “small, immediate price to pay – it will pay off eventually”.
Expect some lofty announcements on the economy and slashing Britain’s runaway welfare bill in the coming days.
Finally, we’re getting to see what the Tories under the leadership of Mrs Badenoch really looks like.