May the 1st’s local elections have proved disastrous for Kemi Badenoch and her Conservative Party, with many criticising Badenoch’s, so far inconsequential, leadership. At the first opportunity for the public to share their thoughts on the government’s term so far, its normal for the presiding party to perform poorly, what’s really not normal is for the official opposition to perform worse. Yet the Conservatives have managed it.
The Conservatives not only failed to claim back control of previously lost local councils but spectacularly experienced this loss themself, with every single council out of the 16 they were defending being lost. Reform UK on the other hand, emerged victorious after successfully wrestling control of ten councils and electing in an inundated 677 local councillors, highlighting deep-seated public dissatisfaction with the status quo of local and national politics. Jason Smithers, former leader of North Northamptonshire council has called for Kemi Badenoch to resign from Conservative Party leader.
He points to the swiftly moving decline of the Conservatives after two successive and substantial electoral losses in less than a year and the growing clamours for action to be taken before it is too late. Badenoch contests this, pointing to Britain’s widespread disappointment with the Conservative Party, noting their resurrection will not be a quick or simple fix that is achieved overnight. Badenoch stated her party’s priority is the country and the long-term change that is needed to reform it.
She has promised a credible and tangible plan that will “fix the country”. But does Badenoch have support? In a February YouGov poll, 56% of Conservative voters think Badenoch has done a good job so far as Conservative leader, yet within the rest of the population only 25% of Britons reciprocate this sentiment.
Badenoch has only been leader for less than a year, however, has clearly failed to make a lasting impression on swing and undecided voters so far. Many traditional Conservative voters are now giving their vote to Reform because of their hardline immigration approach, attracting many right-wing voters to donate their electoral support. But the Conservatives are quietly working on policy, with their newly introduced “Deportation Bill” which brings a zero-tolerance approach to immigration and those seeking asylum illegally.
The bill would disapply the human rights statute act to immigrants and deport “illegal immigrants” immediately, upon arriving in Britain. Badenoch is trying to appeal to a membership and voter base that is swiftly disengaging from the Conservatives and shuffling further right. Badenoch and much of the nation has recognised the concerning position the Conservatives are now in.
However, it’s important to remember it was a local not general election. Nowhere is the difference between them clearer with voter turnout disparity. While it is not yet clear what the voter turnout for each council in the 2025 elections is, in the election last year turnout was an average 59.7%, which will be significantly higher than the 2025 local ones.
People vote when they have something to say. Both the Labour and Conservative party need to absorb these results as a wake-up call and take action to redeem their party, leaders and policies. How Badenoch acts next will shape her party for the foreseeable future, party reform is obviously needed but if this will start from the top, is unknown.