Kemi Badenoch guarantees Tory fightback after back-to-back election disa | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Kemi Badenoch has insisted her Conservative celebration is “down, but not out” as she vowed to combat again from heavy election losses. The Tory chief promised her celebration would “come out fighting” after dropping 674 council seats and management of 16 authorities.

The drubbing got here on the again of final summer time’s normal election pummelling which in the end led to her changing Rishi Sunak. Despite rising backbench unrest Mrs Badenoch cautioned in opposition to a knee-jerk response, saying the celebration’s points had been “not going to be fixed after six months” of her management.

She informed the BBC: “Reform had a very good evening. We had a nasty evening. And what this exhibits for lots of people who hoped that simply altering chief once more would repair every little thing is that that is not going to be sufficient.

“We tried that previously. And that brought us to a historic defeat.”

Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Badenoch said protest was “in the air” in these local elections and argued her party was working on a “slow and steady” plan to return to government by the end of the decade.

She added: “We are going to come out with the policies that people want to see, but what we are not going to do is rush out and tell the public things that are not true just so we can win votes.

“This is not about winning elections; this is about fixing our country. Yes, of course, you need to win elections to do that, but you also need a credible plan.”

Asked if it was feasible that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage could be the next prime minister, she said “anything is feasible”, noting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had won re-election this week after trailing in the polls.

But she insisted: “My job is to make sure that he [Farage] does not become prime minister because he does not have the answers to the problems the country is facing.”

Mrs Badenoch was a cabinet minister in the previous Conservative government and took over as party leader last November, following its worst defeat ever in a general election.

She has faced some criticism over the “slow start” to her management with some even calling for her to step apart.

But shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick – a earlier contender for the Tory management – has backed the previous Cabinet Secretary, insisting she is doing an “glorious job”.

Sir Edward Leigh, the Father of the House, mentioned the Tories wanted to tackle Reform by being as “tough” as Mr Farage on immigration and web zero.

He mentioned: “It must be obvious to everybody now that we’ve got to do what the people want and have policies on net zero and immigration which are just as tough as Reform.

“And sooner or later, before the election, we’ve got to have an electoral alliance with them, otherwise we’ll let Labour in the game. I think they’re the views of many Tory MPs.”

Lord Maude, a former Tory chairman, mentioned the celebration was “a phoenix, not a dodo” and would rise from the ashes “sooner than” individuals suppose underneath her management.

Mrs Badenoch is predicted to answer the defeat by the hands of Reform with a collection of recent coverage bulletins over the approaching weeks.

She will begin this week by difficult Labour to toughen up on-line security legal guidelines, elevating the minimal age of entry for social media websites from 13 to 16.

The Tory chief can also be readying an offensive on crime, amid expectations that Labour will announce it’s scrapping shorter jail phrases to unlock jail area.

The leads to the native elections had been worse than Conservatives had feared, with the celebration not solely dropping councils to Reform but in addition the Liberal Democrats.

It misplaced 674 council seats and management of all 16 native authorities it was defending however wrested the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoralty from Labour.

Reform UK was the large winner, taking management of 10 councils and gaining 677 councillors, because the celebration appeared in a position to faucet into widespread dissatisfaction with the Conservatives and Labour.

The Lib Dems had been the opposite standout winners, gaining 163 seats and management of three councils.

They seized Shropshire from the Tories and gained management of Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire after each beforehand had no celebration in total management.

The Green Party made some positive aspects, profitable 44 seats in whole – nonetheless it suffered disappointment within the West of England mayoral race.

Pollsters estimate that, if elections had taken place throughout the UK on Thursday, the Conservatives would have slumped to only 15% of the nationwide vote, its worst-ever share of such a projection, behind the Liberal Democrats on 17%.

Labour would have received 20% of the vote, in response to the projection, equalling its lowest earlier recorded efficiency in 2009.