Discontented members of the Conservative party are growing increasingly impatient with Kemi Badenoch, as revealed by a recent poll. The survey conducted by YouGov shows that only 46% of party faithful believe she should lead the party in the upcoming election, while 50% think she should not.
Opinions are divided among the members regarding Badenoch’s future. Approximately 49% believe she will step down before the next election, while 47% anticipate she will remain in her position.
Although Badenoch emerged victorious against Robert Jenrick in the previous leadership contest, the poll indicates that Jenrick now holds more favor among members, with a 46% to 39% preference.
With Reform UK gaining ground on the Tories, a significant 64% of members support the idea of an electoral pact with Nigel Farage’s party. Furthermore, nearly half (46%) of the members endorse a complete merger with Reform UK.
Despite overwhelming opposition to forming a coalition with the Labour party (93% against, 6% in favor), 73% of Conservative members express openness to a coalition with Reform UK, with only 25% opposed.
Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, garners favor with over half of Tories (53%), while 45% hold an unfavorable view of him.
Badenoch has consistently rejected the notion of forming a pact with Reform UK, citing Farage’s previous statements about dismantling the Conservative party.
In other political discussions, shadow minister Andrew Rosindell suggested that the Conservatives should consider aligning with Reform UK to prevent a potential Labour government, highlighting commonalities in policy initiatives between the two parties.
The Conservative party’s struggle for relevance was evident at their lackluster party conference in Manchester, marked by a subdued atmosphere as attendees and protesters alike seemed disinterested.
The survey was based on responses from 652 Conservative members polled by Sky News between September 26 and October 2.