For all the giddiness at Conservative conference last week, and the implosion of the Labour party since 4 July, the Tory party is in a bad way. Reform is in the ascendent, and the Tories are still polling below Labour.
Given the circumstances, I am surprised that Conservative MPs are making such a meal of this leadership contest.
She is the most consistent candidate, the most coherent candidate, the most courageous candidate
Perhaps I shouldn’t be. These are, after all, the people who gave members a choice between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss in 2022. I thought Tory MPs should back Kemi Badenoch then, and I think they should back her now as they whittle down the number of leadership contenders to two.
For a start, there is her presentational appeal. After many years grubbing around the foothills of the entertainment business, I flatter myself that I have some idea of who looks good on a camera, who draws the eye, who speaks engagingly in public.
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