Conservatives plot replacing Kemi Badenoch as party leader after poor ratings

Kemi Badenoch could be facing the end of her short reign as leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, as internal unrest and crashing poll numbers pile pressure on her leadership ahead of next week’s crucial local elections.

The Tories are bracing for heavy losses at the polls, with many members blaming Badenoch for the party’s poor showing just six months after she took over as leader.

Polls suggest she has focused on the wrong issues, frustrating party members desperate for a comeback after last year’s historic defeat to Labour under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which ended 14 years of Conservative rule.

More than two dozen Conservative Members of Parliament told Bloomberg that Badenoch is not the right person to lead the party into the next general election, scheduled for 2029.

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Many are already rallying behind Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, who is positioning himself as the candidate to unite the fractured right wing and stop the growing threat of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.

Adding to Badenoch’s woes, Reform UK has consistently outperformed the Conservatives in recent polls, raising fears that the Tories could soon lose their grip as the main right-wing force in British politics.

Badenoch’s leadership style has also drawn heavy criticism. Instead of offering detailed policy plans, she has doubled down on culture wars, railing against what she calls “left-wing nonsense” like excessive regulation and identity politics.

Critics both inside and outside the party argue that she has failed to present a serious and comprehensive agenda that can inspire voters.

Back home in Nigeria, Badenoch’s unpopularity has also grown. Many Nigerians have been critical of her hardline anti-immigration views, which they see as hostile and ironic given her Nigerian heritage.

Her tough rhetoric against migrants and her push for stricter immigration rules have alienated large sections of the African and Caribbean communities in the United Kingdom, further fueling backlash.

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As the pressure mounts, many within the Conservative Party are openly questioning how much longer Badenoch can survive as leader.