Poll: Reform voters least likely to return to Tories

It’s more than three months now since Kemi Badenoch took over as Tory leader. She has set out her vision in various speeches, with yesterday’s Arc address being the most recent example. So, how is she doing? Well, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, according to a poll of 2,000 voters for The Spectator by More in Common. Her approval rating sits at -19, some 22 points above Keir Starmer, but below Nigel Farage. Asked to describe the Tory leader in a single word, the nation’s favourite adjective is ‘unknown’, followed by ‘useless’ – although ‘strong’ and ‘leader’ are also high on the list.

If Andrew Bonar Law was the unknown Prime Minister then Badenoch is (currently) the unknown Leader of the Opposition, with only 66 per cent of Britons knowing who she is, just 10 points above Sir Ed Davey. How best to rectify this then? An impressive 71 per cent of voters want Badenoch to apologise for the last Tory Government – while a majority of voters would like to see Liz Truss and Suella Braverman expelled, though Conservative voters tend to disagree.