Conservative leader Kemi Bandenoch should head into Christmas with a spring in her step given her spectacular performances over the last few months. Even the harshest of conservative commentators cannot fail to acknowledge that the Leader of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition has not only found her feet, but they are now encased in steel capped boots that are rightly giving this appalling government the kicking it deserves.
It has been a rocky ride since she became leader of the Tories in November 2024. For the first few months of her leadership, she seemed elusive, almost invisible. Critics were keen to suggest that she would be out of the job by the middle of this year following a battering in the local council and mayoral elections.
Conservative defeats in these elections were no massive surprise, but the losses were already priced in. Given the massive drubbing the party received in July 2024 at the general election, a miraculous change of fortune at the local ballot box was never going to be achievable in less than a year.
It was always the case that her detractors would use these results as another reason to say she was not the right leader for the Conservative Party as they would any mishap or stumble in the early days of her leadership.
We have since discovered that in the early months, Kemi prioritised meeting party donors once she had won the leadership election and she was strategically spot on to do this. While she might not have been massively visible to the public, she was unquestionably right to spend time reassuring party donors about her plans and keeping them onside.
Politics is nothing without money and those with deep pockets. Labour has always enjoyed the financial support of the unions, but other political parties have no such luxury.
So Kemi’s decision to fundraise so significantly has paid dividends as throughout the year donation records show that the Conservative Party received significant financial support from those who are clearly keen to back the new leader at a time when the party is still recovering from a historic general election defeat.
With the money men firmly onside, time has been spent in the last few months increasing the amount of media work and this has paid off. Her excellent interview with JJ Anisiobi on the Daily Expresso podcast in September revealed a side of Kemi Badenoch that we had not seen before: there was humour, warmth and a mischievous personality on display.
Much was riding on her speech at the Conservative Party conference in October and it was sad to be aware of those that seemed willing her to fail so they could once again say that she was the wrong choice of leader. But it was they that were wrong.
I was in Manchester for much of the conference and there were commentators and others on the first night who were consigning Kemi to the history books and questioning whether the party even had a future. But she knocked it out of the park with a speech that exceeded expectations and an outlining of policy offerings that suggested that the party had finally rediscovered their conservative roots.
Ably supported by a Shadow Cabinet featuring members such as Sir Mel Stride, Andrew Griffith, Chris Philp, Robert Jendrick, Kevin Hollinrake, Laura Trott and others who are all punching well above their weight, and it felt like the Tories had turned a corner.
It’s fair to say that Kemi’s early performances at the dispatch box were ropey at best with no clear strategy or direction, but this has now thankfully changed. Her masterful response to the chaos that was last month’s Budget saw Chancellor Rachel Reeves looking shellshocked and flustered. It was one of the greatest political moments on 2025 and gave further red meat to the Tory faithful
Kemi’s recent run at Prime Minister’s Questions has left Sir Keir Starmer with nowhere to hide, which is only right for a Prime Minister that has one of the worst approval ratings on record. Starmer and Co can no longer blame the Conservatives for this country’s failings or state of the economy. They have had a year-and-a-half in charge and need to start being accountable for their actions.
The Conservative leader and the British public know this too well which is why she is right to highlight Labour’s failings at every opportunity. Following a bumpy start, Kemi Badenoch has come into her own and it is a joy to witness. The best present she can hope to receive this Christmas is a Conservative Party that together recognises she is the right leader for the tough times ahead.
