In 1603, James VI managed to do what few thought possible. The self-styled first King of Great Britain succeeded in bringing the ‘auld enemies’ of Scotland and England under one monarch. That union of the crowns is a topic of chatter and inspiration for the British right these days.
Admirers of Nigel Farage now talk about the ‘James I model’. The idea is simple: could the two warring tribes of the Conservatives and Reform be brought together under one leader? The next general election may be nearly four years away, but it’s telling that such conversations are already taking place.
With every new opinion poll, Conservative MPs grow a little more anxious. The Tories often poll third behind Reform and Labour. They worry that by the time they go to the polls they will have little claim to being the main opposition. A YouGov poll this week put Reform ahead of both main parties for the first time.
While that’s also a problem for Starmer, the more immediate threat is to Kemi Badenoch. As she prepares to mark 100 days as Tory leader, there is growing concern that the path to recovery is narrowing. ‘Let’s be honest. It’s not going well,’ says a former minister. ‘Kemi doesn’t have to do policy,’ says a senior Conservative. ‘But she does need to do something.’
As the party struggles financially, staff members have been told they may have to move from their Westminster campaign headquarters. ‘I think the Tories moving out of Matthew Parker Street should be the least of their worries,’ says a Reform source. Badenoch addressed aides this week about the scale of the challenge ahead – effectively telling them to buck up.
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