Kemi Badenoch’s personal popularity has risen sharply, according to YouGov, but this has not translated into strong support for the Conservative Party. The findings matter because they suggest voters may view Badenoch more favourably than her party, while still doubting whether the Conservatives have changed after their previous election defeat.

Thirty-eight per cent of Britons say Badenoch is performing well as leader, up from 14 per cent in October, and 27 per cent see her as a potential prime minister, compared with 8 per cent previously. However, only 20 per cent say they would vote Conservative at the next general election, while concerns that the party has not learned from its mistakes remain significant; Labour leads recent voting-intention polling on 24 per cent, ahead of Reform UK on 22 and the Conservatives on 21.