# No amount of sliding in the polls can shake Kemi Badenoch’s self-belief – or alter her party’s direction | Andy Beckett

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/no-amount-of-sliding-in-the-polls-can-shake-kemi-badenochs-self-belief-or-alter-her-partys-direction-andy-beckett/
- Published: 2026-11-05T10:00:04+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T12:07:09+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/05/kemi-badenoch-polls-tory-party-direction
- Topics: Elections, Politics

## Key points

- Conservative support has fallen from 26% to 21% under Badenoch.
- The article says the party has not fundamentally changed course.
- Its traditional policies remain central despite electoral weakness.

## Summary

The article argues that Kemi Badenoch’s confidence has become a defining feature of her two years as Conservative leader, even as the party’s support has declined. It says the Tories have moved further right without rethinking their approach, raising questions about whether Badenoch’s certainty reflects conviction or overconfidence.

The Conservatives stood at 26% in a polling average when she took over and have since fallen to 21%; one forecast puts them on 128 seats at the next election. The article contrasts this with earlier periods of defeat, when the party reconsidered its direction, and says Badenoch’s Conservatives remain attached to familiar policies such as deregulation, tax cuts for the prosperous and lower welfare spending.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.