Badenoch confident of leading Tories into next election despite drubbing

Kemi Badenoch insisted she was “confident” she would lead the Conservatives into the next general election following the party’s drubbing last week.

On a visit to a school in Putney, south-west London, on Tuesday, Mrs Badenoch dismissed reports that some Tory MPs were considering an attempt to depose her, saying there is “always” talk of “leadership challenges”.

Asked whether she was confident she would remain leader until the next election, she said: “Yes, I am confident, but what I really want to do is make sure that I’m delivering for the people of this country.”

She conceded that her party needed to change “as quickly as possible”, telling broadcasters: “We have some time but we don’t have much time.”

Her visit followed a round of local elections in which the Conservatives lost more than 600 councillors along with control of all 15 local authorities the party held going into Thursday’s poll.

Many of the Conservatives’ losses came at the hands of Reform UK, which won more than 600 council seats and took control of 10 local authorities.

But in parts of the country, the Tories found themselves squeezed by the Liberal Democrats, who made gains in counties such as Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Shropshire.

Mrs Badenoch has previously said the Conservatives would “come out fighting” to try to regain public support, but also that they would not rush policy proposals.

On Tuesday, she also ruled out resurrecting Rishi Sunak’s proposal to reintroduce national service, following reports on the ConservativeHome website that some MPs had suggested the move.

She told reporters: “What we said is that we want to hear all the ideas people have about what a policy platform for the Conservatives could look like, that is actually going to rewire and rebuild the state.

“We do want to see more young people participating in civic life but I never agreed with the policy on national service. I can say that now that government is over.

“It came in at a very late period, people didn’t understand what it was about, many people thought it was compulsory national service, I think it was a review.

“That’s the kind of thing I’m stopping now. We’re not just rushing out, saying things without the rest of the party understanding what problem it’s solving or where the ideas come from.”

Published: 06/05/2025 by Radio NewsHub