Tory leadership race: Badenoch 'the one to beat' and Braverman 'dead in the water'

"Looking at the current state of play, Kemi Badenoch is probably the one to beat."
Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick are the current frontrunners in the race for Tory leader, says Henry Hill, editor of Conservative Home.
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[@paulburton9386]

Let's just close the Tories and file them under Bad Memories and move on!

[@jaisriram295]

Well given they got 24% of the popular vote and reform got 14% of the popular vote made up mainly of people who voted Tory in 2019 your comment is nonsensical 😂

[@BenWilcox-x6d]

Within 3 months people will filing this circus fresh into town as a veritable nightmare. First illegals land at Dover one hour ago.

[@TimComley]

Pop your ego away son

[@stevewilson6390]

Really? Nigel is courting lots of Tory MPs. Lee Anderson is a MP already. Suella Bravermanhas been asked to cross over, Kemi Badenoch as been mentioned. In fact centre to centre right Concervative are more than welcome in the Reform party. To many people took their eye off the ball and we now have a Labour government by default and if you think the situation is bad now you just watch our country sink in to the sewer under this marxist woke shower we have in now. Unfortunately the famous five of the Reform party wont change anything the reason being they dont have the numbers so dont have any power.

[@sugoidessho]

Do you have a poster of David Lammy or Diane Abbott on your bedroom wall?

[@rogston39]

I honestly don't think the Tories realize how much contempt there is for them.

[@henryblunt8503]

Yes. They're consoling themselves with the notion that Labour's support is wide but not deep, but seem unable to process the fact that opposition to the Tory Party is broader *and* deeper.

[@garymitchell5899]

​@@henryblunt8503Labour's support is inded wide but not deep and if they fail, the electorate is very likely to go for the next viable alternative - the Conservatives. That's not an unreasonable consolation.

[@pip1723]

I've every faith in the new government but expecting results overnight won't happen undoing 14 year's of Tory austerity and incompetence will take some doing but ditching the Rwanda scheme is a great start .

[@rogston39]

@@henryblunt8503 Yes, you are spot on there.

[@henryblunt8503]

@@garymitchell5899 Only when they've forgotten enough of the last 14 years.

[@PhilipParker-c8x]

Yesterday's people. No longer relevant.

[@TimComley]

Bot

[@daydays12]

True

[@suttercane6]

Reform will rise from the Tory ashes!

[@jayr9952]

Kemi could begin an argument in an empty room.

[@vaseline69]

as a liberal I am praying she becomes the leader

[@vercoda9997]

"Oh no I couldn't!" she shouted, locked by herself in an otherwise empty room.

[@martinahardaker8739]

When she gets up, every morning there's a 20 minute argument...then she realises she's looking in the mirror..

[@ArtyFactual_Intelligence]

@@spicy_ketchup I didn't notice she's black, but I noticed she's arrogantly privileged.

[@spartybrearly7221]

Could she? She said very little as a cabinet minister.

[@georgemullens]

Braverman, Badenoch and Jenrick are absolutely terrible.

[@TBrl8]

The tories are in big trouble. Farage looms large and the right and left of the conservative movement are as far apart as ever.

[@vaseline69]

I think if Braverman doesn't get the job, Reform will have 6 MPs

[@daydays12]

bottom feeders all three of them

[@edwardrodbourne8361]

They are not that good...

[@user-bu9nb8wr6e]

They are perfect then 😂😂😂😂

[@lazslostpierre9951]

Suella Braverman, the worst ever attorney general (you wouldn't use her to do your house conveyancing), worst ever home secretary, may as well go for the worst ever leader of the Tory party, though a hard one to achieve given Johnson and Truss.

[@judithdavidson2356]

Absolutely correct. What appalling people

[@randhirsharma3870]

@@lazslostpierre9951 Suella only good thing she is married to a Jew .I am partial because I have Jewish friends who are excellent

[@ianinkster2261]

Suella is the only Tory home secretary who attempted to do her job rather than act as an ornament, and was punished for it.

[@pip1723]

Couldn't care less we've only just got shut of them I've had enough of the tory leadership pantomime personally.

[@BenWilcox-x6d]

And the people will not put up with what this lot has in store. Watch this space.

[@pip1723]

@@BenWilcox-x6d why what's in store a better run country ?and a government working for the people ....I'll take it .

[@jonathonjubb6626]

Badenoch will ensure Labour get a second term...

[@tariq_sharif]

.... and the racists of Reform never return to the Tories

[@serenth8310]

Labour will get a second term regardless. They just need to choose someone who can do a good job at attacking Labour. Badenoch is bull headed enough to actually do this and might be a good option for the tories, though i say this highly disliking them...

[@davidcjupp]

@@serenth8310 Starmer has got at least 6 years of 'pipe down, you made a pigs ear of everything for 14 years and now we're cleaning up your mess.'

[@daydays12]

that's a positive 🙂

[@ArtyFactual_Intelligence]

Labour will defo benefit from the EXTENSIONS.

[@Sausage1958]

Braverman could always get a job as Rwandas Officer for tourism she thinks so highly of the country.

[@JoeWedgwood-ik9zo]

Tory’s are history for at least a decade 😁👍🏻

[@geofo60]

We can but hope

[@pip1723]

At least .

[@jaybee4288]

I think they could turn it around in 5 years. Starmers vote is extremely shallow and Labour are unlikely to make much difference in that time. But for them to turn it around they’ve got to get rid of these 3 and grab one of the more sane Tory MPs that wasn’t implicit in the last 14 years. They basically need to do what Starmer did in 2019, full restructure, kick out the bad apples. Which they seem scared to do.

[@melgrant7404]

​@@jaybee4288agree.

[@ipohtennischannel5482]

I think we're all getting a bit bored with this now...

[@ArtyFactual_Intelligence]

The British Media is obsessed with the impossible notion of reviving the Tory Party.

[@pastyman001]

Badenoch is incredibly arrogant but does not have the ability to back it up. He description of the trade deals were incoherent.

[@davidhall7744]

Im almost as mystified as I was when Liz Truss emerged as a leadership candidate now that Bad-enough is being touted. Is there something i’m missing? Everytime I see Bad-enough speak, it consists of nothing more than a blethering load of nonsense, pure word salad. I’m I alone in feeling this?

[@jananders1351]

The inability to think rationally and speak in coherent sentences are requirements not obstacles in Tory world.

[@grahamdhv3812]

I also think that. She is very superficial and doesn't deal in detail. Pretty thick really; similar to Truss.

[@AlanDevOps]

Irrelevant. These are not serious people.

[@JT-si6bl]

They are not even people.

[@bryangeake5826]

"Looking at the current state of play, Kemi Badenoch is probably the one to beat." question is, what with?

[@suewilkinson910]

A wet Mackrell would do nicely. Horrible woman. For a time I started to think I'd turned into a racist as I looked at that government. I was worried because I never had been before but I had nothing but disdain and hatred for them. Braverman, Badenoch, Cleverly, although interestingly not Sunak. I thought he was a twit with a bad temper and no clue, but he didn't make me feel they way the other 3 did. Then the miracle happed and we have David Lammy as Foreign Secretary and I felt safer and happy because he's a good man and has been a good MP and is a great orator. I don't know Shabana Mahmood, but you only have to look at her to know she's going to be good. And I realised I'm not racist at all, I just hated them because the brown Tories seem to be even worse than the white variety.

[@bryangeake5826]

@@delfine7163 That sounds like nationalism, we are a multi-cultural country made from waves of immigtation for 1,000s of years. So, who are the 'British'? For my money anyone who was born here or in the Commonwealth that moved here, and that's Modern British, the Roman DNA is still here, as is Nordic (Viking), African (many Roman's were African), Asian etc. So, why should that evolution suddenly cease?

[@grahamdhv3812]

​@@delfine7163heard that about the Brexit con. Didn't go well.

[@jablot5054]

​@@delfine7163 so you want to empty the hospitals of staff , get rid of carers ,taxi drivers etc. Britain is made from immigrants.

[@FionaJane-vc2tw]

Whoever it is they won't win in 5 years time. We are all sick of toxic politicians.

[@31Blaize]

Badenoch has even less self-awareness than Sunak and is far tetchier. Watching her at PMQs will likely not do the Tories any favours. Pick her!

[@kevinwilde]

all extremely right - wing prejudiced against people who are less fortunate in life. the British public deserves a well earned rest from these individuals. support left - wing true Labour.

[@jonesyjones7626]

And their open borders, no thanks.

[@stuartryan610]

Not too far left.

[@michaelstanley3961]

Like "Cats in a sack". Trouble is Farage is holding the sack.....and will no doubt drown the winner.

[@Rancid-wd3ty]

Another Tory clown show restarts, whose gonna be next to lead the 121 MP,s sat in their tiny little corner of parliament whingeing from the sidelines,haha.

[@jaisriram295]

Until 2029 when they combine to kick out Starmer if the left of his party don't do it first 😂

[@Rancid-wd3ty]

@@jaisriram295 yea right.

[@pip1723]

Farage 5seats lol

[@stansalt3198]

Tricky choices, they all look as if they would sell their Granny to the highest bidder.

[@daydays12]

they sure would

[@yvonnemason9137]

I notice that, in the clip of Rishi Sunak giving his 'I'm resigning as Prime Minister' speech, his wife is standing behind him, conspicuously carrying a large umbrella! Hmm, I wonder why that is! 🤣

[@markdawson4625]

What choice!!!! It’s like asking which STI would you prefer. Where are the moderate Tories?

[@michaelkemp6857]

Are there any?

[@James-o2u9x]

The moderate Tories? The wets masquerading as Tories? LibDems with blue ties? They re all absorbing having their arses kicked for betraying their voters.

[@matthewsemple]

All these things are linked... The Tories sold off the council stock and prevented councils from rebuilding. Most of these houses are now in the hands of private landlords so this and nimbyism has caused housing costs to rocket. So many younger people cannot afford to buy a house and couples are having less children (see also cancelled services, closed libraries, lack of nursery places and Gove cancelling the new schools building programme). Therefore the birthrate has collapsed and the workforce is shrinking so employers, desperate for staff, seek to recruit from overseas. And no, it's not foreigners stealing all the jobs, pushing down wages and simultaneously claiming benefits and getting free access to the NHS.

[@jonesyjones7626]

Not true. Where I live the neighbouring GP practice is overwhelming serving immigrants. Mass migration suppresses wages in every country it happens and facilitates employers not training staff.

[@matthewsemple]

@@jonesyjones7626 one GP practice is only anecdotal evidence. However it remains true that the requirement for immigration has been fuelled by the other government cuts I have outlined.

[@melgrant7404]

Agree.council only sold off housing to pass on the maintenance costs.

[@grahamdhv3812]

​@@jonesyjones7626do you where they were born? Right wing bilge again.

[@cupguin]

Assuming Badenoch keeps her seat. The number of undelivered postal ballots might still come back to haunt certain current MPs.

[@gareth7574]

I was against the Tories before it was 'cool'. That said, for the country's good, I hope the Tories can reset the clock by at least 15 years. Forget anyone who has been in government since Cameron. In my opinion, Suella and Priti need to be gone from the halls of power for good.

[@davidleatham5173]

Who leads the tories is irrelevant as they'll be in opposition for at least the next 10 years.

[@TimComley]

Another expert🙄

[@davidleatham5173]

@@TimComley Well you shouldn't need to be an expert to realise that the leader of the opposition is the irrelevance in chief. Particularly when the government has an overwhelming majority. 😳

[@johnmartin7158]

How many leaders have they had now.

[@jaybee4288]

@davidleatham5173 The majority is rather wet, in some places we’re talking less than 100 votes and many are almost neck a neck. Labour didn’t really increase their vote share by much if at all, the Conservative and SNP vote simply collapsed. With that in mind, if they can get those votes back it can quickly see saw. I doubt Labour will go 5 years without a few dramas. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Tory but it’s foolish to write them off. Their biggest enemy is each other not Starmer, I can see them all devouring themselves to become Tory leader and that will keep them out for some time to come.

[@johnmartin7158]

@@jaybee4288 Tories need a leader that can unite the factions. Not necessarily charisma or populism.

[@diogenesagogo]

What was that remark about Reform not removing racist candidates? Where is the evidence for that please?

[@johncarroll5178]

Whenever any Tory talking about the new leader says they want to 'reflect' I immediately hear the word 'plot'.

[@therealbettyswollocks]

Badenoch will be the Michael Foot of the Tories, albeit without the brains of Michael Foot.

[@annishilcock4587]

Everyone is gripped by? You may be but then you seem to be obsessed with the Tories...the electorate isn't anymore

[@davidthomson4102]

Who cares, you had you chance and you gave us Boris and Liz….. go away and regroup, come back when you’ve grown up

[@GerryT.]

Oh dear, as if it coulldnt get any worse for the Tories they are gonna make Badenoch leader. Of it was based on ignorance and arrogance she would easily win. I look forward to Starmer making mincemeat of her at PMQs, because she really isnt very bright

[@captainnice1881]

Starmer making mincemeat 😂😂 Leave centrist dad barbeques to Ed Davey.

[@christieomojo]

Ive personally never got the Kemi hype, she doesn't have much experience and has a similar personality to rishi totally flat. They really need someone who has personality that can warm to voters.

[@Psmith-ek5hq]

Like who?

[@grahamdhv3812]

Only Rory Stewart can move and change the Tories now, but he will have to go into the Lords, the others will lead them down a deep rathole. Tories have said they need to appeal to Lib Dem voters and Reform ones. That's simply impossible.

[@cpt-420]

we dont care

[@janetharry2615]

I’ve just seen Suellas speech and it was spot on, she described why conservatives left the party and it was exactly correct. In my opinion anyone who doesn’t agree with it is just going to prolong the disaster.

[@brianferguson7840]

The sun has risen on a freshly laundered Labour country. Ahh, the smell of freshly baked Thick sliced Competence, generously spread with integrity !

[@PassiveAgressive319]

Hear! Hear!

[@suewilkinson910]

They answer questions from the press!

[@jaybee4288]

Wes Streeting. David Lammy. Jackie Smith. Angela Rayner. It’s not all perfect.

[@Creatordave]

What sickly nonsense. Labour opposed Tory attempts to liberalise planning as a 'developers charter', and now expect us to believe they are they are the YIMBY party. Labour decried the Tories as high-tax, and are are now planning tax hikes. Labour negotiated for the defection of a senior civil servant from Whitehall to them at a time this civil servant was supposed to be impartially judging their political opponent. Keir Starmer has never shown any contrition for supporting Jeremy Corbyn, nor for trying to bounce the government into a damaging and pointless fourth lockdown, nor for 'beergate'. Labour demonstrated neither competence nor honour during their time in opposition.

[@mufflejoy]

The corrupt opportunistic egos of the Tories is big part of their downfall. Braveman will keep that legacy humming along.

[@davidk7262]

Imagine that, the stirrer in chief of the culture wars being the top candidate. Expect more and more division, US style if she makes it to the hot seat.

[@lesterfalcon1350]

I keep hearing Tories saying that they are the centre, or the party needs to regain the centre. When have Tories ever been the centre?

[@michaelkemp6857]

Far right of Adolf!!

[@James-o2u9x]

​​@@michaelkemp6857No, I think you ll find they re lefties with blue ties on. Name a conservative policy they actually carried out.

[@trevellyanblack4101]

The Conservatives lost because they held their voters in complete contempt. By 2016, they'd became self-obsessed and introspective, huddled in corners plotting against each other, this translated to they lost the ability to govern.

[@robduncan599]

What will the new leader do , keep trying to out Reform, Reform? That bound to be a winning formula? Right ?

[@MarkInOxford]

Kemi is certainly Badenough to lead the Tories in to oblivion.

[@sydnorth5868]

It doesn't matter who the next Tory leader is. I've been saying for some time that the next Tory Prime Minister isn't even an MP yet.

[@derekmab7734]

We should invent this expression: "3 cheeks of the same backside".

[@vercoda9997]

If picking nauseatingly callous, cruel people like Those to punch down at the poor and marginalised is the best that the Tories can do, offering nothing other than a message of hate and division, then long, long, long may the Tories' exile endure.

[@jananders1351]

What a bunch of irresponsible clowns, they had 14 years to listen to the electorate. But they chose not to. Now all these wise people who were complicit in the Tory lurch to the far right by their silence, have found themselves ejected from the gravy train.

[@brianfreeman8290]

If the Tories really want to recover, they need a NEW face. These options are most of the reason they got booted out !

[@Matthew-bu7fg]

this ex-Sherwood Forest MP would make a better leader than most the MPs going for it

[@johnmacdonald6698]

Who in Gods name would want to be leader of that Mob?

[@normie8895]

The Tories should resist resorting to a geek leader, they have a proud history of selecting non electables, remember it is more of a presidential election than political animal.

[@robinstevenson6690]

I'm extremely unimpressed by Mr. Cleverly, whom I don't find the least bit clever. If the Tories are relying on him for leadership, they are in very sorry shape indeed.

[@elvisnnaemeka6722]

If Suella braverman isn't elected, the Tory party is over. Reform will grow stronger

[@pj1471]

Suella Braverman’s problem is Suella Braverman. Sooner she leaves the Centre Right Conservative Party the better.

[@kicka11]

All 3 are beyond hopeless. 2 are fascists and the other is a teaboy.

[@pinkpanther7030]

Which one is a teaboy😂

[@for111]

He specifically said it was too early to call it dead in the water...

[@paulwiley8902]

I'm not sure Badenoch would have enough support country wide to lift the Tories if I'm honest..

[@mikewilson8513]

Dear God, the worst election result for the Tories, and they are going to elect one of the big reasons for that humiliation.

[@foppo101]

Excellent these lovely women should go for it.That means they never be back yes go for it lady's.

[@rolstonholas333]

Sunak’s wife’s dress is making my monitor go funny

[@melgrant7404]

Looks like she got run over by a truck 😅 the pattern looks like tyre tread marks.

[@melgrant7404]

Like tyre treads.

[@wiltonfarm4816]

Tories are now finished. They still do not get why no one wants them.

[@UdayMUKHERJI]

The Conservative Party has a self-destruction button. How many are likely to die in the explosion?

[@johnramsden1277]

No hope for the Tories if this is one of them!

[@camberleysunseeker9540]

The problem is that the 165000 right wing members of the Tory party will vote them in. They did it for Truss and look where that ended

[@davejlboy4505]

Wow ..what talent .the bad the vile and the disgraceful .choose any order .

[@nl4064]

when your opposition all agree they dont want to face Kemi Badenoch and your membership overwhelming want Kemi Badenoch. its clear she shouldbe leadewr and future PM

[@willrothwell9221]

Any semblence of competence was purged from the party by Johnson for not being Brexity enough. Let them delude themselves for as long as possible.......

[@stuartryan610]

They don't have any credible person who could do the job. What they do have is a group of people who are in it for the money. Simples.

[@stanwoltynski4153]

If Badenoch becomes the leader the Conservative Party is completely finished

[@user-bu9nb8wr6e]

Any one of those 3 in the picture would be perfect if you are a reform, lib dem or labour voter.

[@JT-si6bl]

Let's stay real: 14 years of lessons say that what's delivered to the public is for the worst, from the worst. So your party needs a leader that chatters with fast teeth like they are in a different universe, speaks with some sort of authority to themselves, has a huge ego, maybe even flashes their own eyelids to be a self-strobing epileptic trigger, and a possible *optional* drug issue. Enter the lovely Kimi. Then watch the party implode. Again.

[@jonaverage9771]

The final nail in the coffin..

[@realsmuu1046]

How are they finding new depths of the bottom to scrape!

[@John-uz4zv]

The Tories are the pits .

[@oldTimer-x3r]

This reminds me of jungle politics.

[@cosmosadorabilis7677]

Sorry but I don't believe Breverman is dead in the water. I wish this was true, but her brand of hatred is mad popular right now.

[@tommytippy4448]

The only Tory worth a vote is Suella, but I'll still vote Reform myself now,been scammed by the lying Tories once,never again.

[@SK-sm9mn]

Henry Hill is a good fella

[@christieomojo]

The need to go with a fresh face that isnt connected to Brexit, Boris, Truss and and all the other disasters.

[@RANDYSWELLBURG]

Badenoch is so thick and unpleasant I almost hope she wins the leadership. It will keep the tories out of power for longer.

[@serpentinefire77]

Cruella has definitely had conversations with the Reform leadership about their mutual political goals.

[@monkeyboy8424]

It's my experience that Badenoch was ignorant and incompetent in her role as BEIS Secretary. Notwithstanding, the Tories are effectively extinct.

[@Tom_murray89]

I feel the tories will be out of power for a long time

[@williamling3056]

The current favourites are all hideous.

[@andrewbogle3350]

The ensuing Tory leadership contest is like bald men fighting over a comb.

[@stevecoppin6396]

a very able demonstration of why they are out , still cloth eared and blaming everyone but themselves

[@marksimons8861]

Ms Braverman is completely out of the running. Even the Tories wouldn't want a traitress as their leader, would they?

[@carollteisar4356]

Nobody talks about mtg rates Most tory voters are indifferent to the problems of people less well off . Can it be that chickens have come home to roost via interest rates ?

[@dm9078]

I hope they go with Badenoch that will finish the cons once and for all

[@stevemarshall4822]

The smart Tories with a sense of reality will abandon the party for Reform. The rest are just minnows scrapping in a cracked fishbowl.

[@catherinemartin6258]

She’ll be like another rishi Sunak useless

[@YakovShani]

The Tories require a new leader who will implement radical reform in the way the party conducts itself and also of course on policies. Neither Badenoch nor Braverman are in a mode for reform. Young blood is needed.

[@MrBoliao98]

I think, a hand of decency, not even reform. Just stability and discipline. Ian Duncan Smith, Jeremy Hunt, these two seem stable and can command the party.

[@TimComley]

Agree

[@timsimmons5953]

If they go down this route they might as well close up shop and join farage. Which would be a disaster for the UK.

[@micksmithson6724]

I'm tempted to join the Conservatives just so I can vote for the worst possible candidate, but it seems almost certain they will do that for themselves. From the party that brought you Boris, Liz and Rishi, and now seems determined to get an ever worse one this time.

[@vanshookme6531]

The incompetent leading the incompetent......Badenoch 'the one to beat'....Lol, the conservatives are finished if this is the best of.

[@Beefeater1234]

Badenoch is Nigerian, she would make the tories unelectable, just look at sunak, yousaf, gethen, khan, and Varadkar for island, there’s not a good one between them, Badenoch,come on wake up.

[@antonypjones]

Tugendhat, best of a bad bunch

[@jaydaniels6172]

Yeah I'm sure Conservatives who have gone over to reform are going to come rushing back to vote for a black woman (no matter how anti woke she is). Are they in such a persistent state of dog whistling they forgotten they doing it and as a result forgotten who their base is. It's adorable that she doesn't it's an issue.

[@flyingdutchman3483]

It seems strange to me that they are considering new leaders that themselves led to the demise of the Conservative Party, because of either gas lighting the public or being ineffectual at their respective jobs. The 3 in question should join Reform with their right wing aspirations, but I fear that 2 of them would not fit into the rank and file of the membership as regards to being true British, after all Farage did hint at that when talking about Sunak.