‘Underwhelming’ Badenoch finds her feet – but Tory prospects are still miserable ...Middle East

It was a move that won the official opposition headlines and favourable op-eds – and went some way towards showing she was different to the Tory leaders who came before (it was Theresa May who brought in the target). The hope is that it was a bold enough move to – as strategists would put it – “cut through”.

“One of the reasons a lot of us backed her was this idea that she would slay Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions – but, actually, half the time Rishi would have done a better job,” complains a parliamentary colleague, while a shadow minister adds: “It has been underwhelming.”

There was no Shadow Cabinet this week because Badenoch was instead busy launching her much-hyped policy commissions. Each is to be led by the relevant shadow secretary of state – and span several months. In a bid to feed the news cycle, aides are discussing releasing updates every couple of weeks in order to keep up a sense of momentum.

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Yet the mood music among senior members of the shadow Cabinet is of increased ECHR scepticism, including from shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp. Mainstream opinion on the issue also appears to be moving.

So it’s fair to say that this week hasn’t made things worse for Badenoch. Yet having an OKish week is not a big achievement if the wider picture remains miserable.

What’s more, in the next few weeks a campaign advocating for some type of electoral pact or collaboration between Reform and the Tories is expected. Badenoch has said she is against one – but even her own shadow business minister, Greg Smith, has said he is in favour of an arrangement.

But many Tory MPs believe Badenoch would be the wrong leader to broker any deal. They take the view that her personality and direct approach could make an agreement with Farage impossible.

But Badenoch’s critics say this is no excuse and that she needs to show she can stop Reform. Labour ministers may have helped her in this regard – some of the key battlegrounds, such as Essex, have been postponed as a result of local government changes.

Katy Balls is political editor of ‘The Spectator’

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