WIMBLEDON-BORN politician Kemi Badenoch says she is not one to scare easily. At 45, the Conservative MP has found herself battling more than just tough polls — from donor desertions to online abuse and increasing media scepticism, the opposition leader faces the challenge of revitalising her party before it collapses under its own weight.
“I’m tough. I have to be,” Badenoch told me candidly from the back of a car headed to Kent, where she was campaigning ahead of the critical 1 May local elections. “Campaigning is going well in the sense that I’m enjoying it, but I know it’s going to be difficult.”
Difficult is putting it lightly. Polls show Labour hovering at 23%, Reform UK surging ahead at 25%, and the Tories trailing at 20%. A projection this week even suggests that if a general election were held today, Reform could capture 180 seats — more than either Labour or the Conservatives.
Yet Badenoch remains unyielding. “We have to make a compelling offer. Last year a man told me that when someone in a blue rosette knocked on your door, you knew what they stood for. Now, people aren’t so sure. That needs to change. People need to know what authentic Conservatism looks like in 2025 — and it must be forward-thinking, not a nostalgic throwback.”
On Reform UK’s mounting threat, Badenoch was blunt: “They’ve made it clear they want to destroy the Conservative Party. So how can I talk about coalitions? Even Labour don’t want to obliterate us.”
She is quick to point out, however, that her focus remains on “basic services” like rubbish collection, pothole repairs, and special education — the things people complain about most when she’s out knocking on doors.
But she knows the battle isn’t just about services. Badenoch’s firm stance on women’s rights amid the gender debate has earned her both admiration and ire. Following the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the definition of sex in legislation, she declared it a “huge vindication.”
“I cannot tell you how much abuse and vilification was put my way,” she said. “But I can handle it. Everyday women who were hounded from jobs couldn’t. Nurses made to change in front of male colleagues — it’s a degradation of dignity. This ruling brought clarity, but it’s a shame it had to reach the Supreme Court at all.”
She is especially critical of Labour’s position on the issue. “Rosie Duffield was hounded out for stating a biological fact. It’s shameful. But most trans people I speak to don’t want conflict — they want respect. So do women. There’s a balance, and we have to draw clear boundaries.”
But her critics argue that Badenoch lacks the substance to turn principles into policy. One party insider confided, “She’s clever, no doubt, but there’s no vision. No big idea.” That sentiment has grown louder as questions swirl around her response to grooming gangs and AI policy.
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On grooming, she insists she’s pushing harder now. “We launched a task force before the election. We identified between 450 and 500 perpetrators. Labour isn’t serious about it — we need a national inquiry.”
She also warns of the dangers Labour’s AI policies pose to Britain’s creative industries. “I believe in property rights. Creators must be protected. If AI skims their work without permission, it discourages people from becoming artists. We can’t let that happen.”
Perhaps the most personal moment came when she referenced a cousin’s suicide in 2022. “He was isolated, in Canada, and fell into a dark online world. These issues — radicalisation, eating disorders, online extremism — they’re all real. The internet is a powerful force for connection, but also for destruction.”
As Badenoch closes in on local elections, her mission is clear: restore faith in the Conservative brand and deliver a message people can believe in. But with growing doubt about her future as leader, the question remains — can she convince the country she’s the one to do it?
Time, and the ballot box, will tell.
