Women know the familiar scene: you make a point in a room full of men, nobody reacts, and then, ten minutes later, a man repeats it and is rewarded with nods and approving noises. You sit there, astonished by the audacity.
I am experiencing that feeling now. For months, I was patronised for arguing that Kemi Badenoch was a serious political force and could well become the next prime minister. Now the same people are confidently making that very case to me, as though I have not been saying it all along. Grrr.
When Badenoch became Conservative leader in 2024, the prevailing view was that she would be gone by Christmas. I disagreed. When the consensus shifted to “perhaps she is not so bad, but it will not last”, I disagreed again. And while others celebrated Nigel Farage and pronounced the Conservative Party finished, I still refused to join in.
Even when Robert Jenrick, Danny Kruger and Malcolm Offord defected to Reform and many concluded that the Conservatives’ prospects were over, I disagreed. That is not because I possess unusual political insight or the gift of prophecy. It is because, to me, Badenoch’s qualities have been unmistakable: she is the real deal.
The polls are now beginning to show it. Following her conference speech, the so-called Kemi bounce has lifted the Conservatives above Reform for the first time since the election, putting them on 23 per cent, just one point behind Labour on 24 per cent.
When I first declared myself a Badenoch supporter, I readily admitted that she was not perfect.
I am now being patronised by people insisting that Badenoch is a serious political contender and potentially our next prime minister — as if I have not been making that argument for months, writes Sarah Vine
Mrs Badenoch shakes hands with party delegates after delivering her keynote speech on the final day of last week’s Conservative Party conference
“Yes, she is prone to gaffes, yes, she can be forceful, and yes, she gets under people’s skin. But when the Conservative Party has been reduced to a directionless and ineffective rump of 119 seats, compared with Labour’s 410, isn’t that precisely what is needed?” I wrote in 2024.
I also argued that she possessed qualities conspicuously absent from much of modern politics: authenticity, determination, vision and an unshakeable sense of self. The Conservatives needed a leader with courage, confidence and, above all, consistency. Badenoch clearly had all three.
Most important of all, perhaps, was her willingness to make difficult arguments. Her position in the debate over trans issues — including biological sex, women’s safe spaces and self-identification — was a clear example.
She knew what she believed, was prepared to say so and refused to be bullied or cancelled by her critics. While many politicians appeared to bend before the loudest voices, Badenoch held her ground.
In a forest of reeds, she appeared to be the only oak.
Sometimes a party has to reach rock bottom before it can begin climbing again. That was the Conservatives’ position two years ago when Badenoch took over. Since then, it is difficult to overstate the scale of the transformation she has brought about.
When she became leader, the infighting that had damaged the party during its years in government was still plainly visible. Robert Jenrick, her rival in the leadership contest, continued campaigning for himself well into Badenoch’s time as leader.
Did that irritate her? Almost certainly. Did she allow it to undermine her? No. She let his vanity run its course. When Jenrick defected, she appeared pleased, saying Reform was welcome to him.
“I won’t apologise to those walking away because they don’t like the new direction,” she said. “We only want Conservatives.”
Anyone else, she added, should “get out of the way”.
RELATED: Trump Says: Former US President’s Latest Public Remarks
That uncompromising, “my way or the highway” attitude has been evident throughout her leadership. At first it came across as abrasive, but she has moderated it somewhat as new people have joined her team. Even so, a political party cannot be led by committee — as Keir Starmer demonstrated so clearly.
There is more to Badenoch than her tough exterior. Beneath it is someone with genuine kindness and a sweetness of character that inspires friendship and loyalty. She has a sharp understanding of human nature, along with an impressive ability to handle difficult situations wisely — the Jenrick episode being a notable example.
This means that while she can be fierce and intense at the despatch box, she can be light-hearted and engaging elsewhere, as the situation requires.
As she has grown into the role, she’s become more skilled at showing this other side of her character, which is why, unlike so many politicians, the more people see of her the more they like her.
It’s not rocket science. Ultimately, there is just something very appealing about a woman who knows her own mind, has a clear sense of purpose and is unafraid to challenge preconceptions.
Her latest policy proposals – removing the financial cliff-edge on childcare, ditching inheritance tax and stamp duty, halving national insurance contributions for workers aged 21-24, reintroducing the two-child benefit cap, scrapping net zero – have the political classes clutching their pearls. But out there in the real world, they make sense.
She still has a way to go. If her assessment is correct, and Andy Burnham does call an early December election, then she will have quite the fight on her hands convincing the electorate to give her party another chance.
But fighting is what she does best. And, so far, she has proved every one of her doubters wrong.
A wicked role for Florence
Florence Pugh stars as the evil Cathy Ames in the new TV adaptation of John Steinbeck’s epic novel, East Of Eden
Along with many others, I’ve been gripped by the new TV adaptation of John Steinbeck’s epic novel, East Of Eden, starring Florence Pugh as the personification of evil, Cathy Ames. She is a wickedly complex character, played brilliantly by Pugh, who showcases her astonishing acting range here.
At the heart of this story is a woman whose beauty masks a dark and twisted soul, who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. In a world more than ever obsessed with appearance, it’s a stark reminder that beauty is not always a mark of goodness.
Is the dining room going the same way as the dodo? It would seem so. According to new research, almost a quarter of homeowners have turned theirs into something else – a games room, a home office, a yoga studio. This is fine, I suppose, if you have a kitchen big enough for a table, but the idea of doing away with a dining room altogether seems so grim.
Trump’s gone for glamour…again
Glamorous blonde TV presenter Katie Zacharia is Donald Trump’s new press secretary, who is almost indistinguishable from Karoline Leavitt, his last appointee to the role
Donald Trump’s new press secretary is glamorous blonde TV presenter Katie Zacharia, all ‘t**s and teeth’, as my grandmother used to say – and almost indistinguishable from his last appointee to the role, Karoline Leavitt.
Before that there was Kayleigh McEnany, who served in the role during Trump’s first administration. His foreign policy may be as changeable as the weather, but when it comes to top female aides, never let it be said The Donald isn’t reliably consistent.
There’s having a good relationship with your ex and there’s officiating at their wedding. Just a month after his divorce to Jennifer Meyer, actor Tobey Maguire presided over her nuptials to Geoffrey Ogunlesi, a man taller, younger and richer than him. Judging by the look on Maguire’s face, he couldn’t be happier for them. Either that, or he knows something Mr Ogunlesi doesn’t…
Andy Burnham does love going backwards, doesn’t he? It’s like he’s permanently stuck in reverse. First it’s back to the Seventies, and now he wants to take Britain back to some pre-Brexit utopia that never existed – and certainly doesn’t exist now. Also, someone needs to tell him that when he gets his fake tan done, he mustn’t forget the eyelids. They are beyond the pale. Like his policies.
