[Tubby Isaacs]

Has she been pressed on her ("why didn't the Government tell us?") lark about Southport? That really wasn't good enough for the Leader of the Opposition, who gets a special salary in recognition of their responsibilities. If you want to play Farage, you can be paid Farage wages.

[Andy McDandy]

Fargle rakes in more than any other MP. Not the best of comparisons.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Ha ha, no.

[Abernathy]

I hadn’t wondered until now what Frank Hester (the Conservative Party’s biggest donor, who admitted he was prompted by Diane Abbott to “hate all black women”) thinks about his party’s new leader. Nor, for that matter, what the bold Kemi thinks about her party continuing to be funded by donors such as Hester.

[davidjay]

I hadn’t wondered until now what Frank Hester (the Conservative Party’s biggest donor, who admitted he was prompted by Diane Abbott to “hate all black women”) thinks about his party’s new leader. Nor, for that matter, what the bold Kemi thinks about her party continuing to be funded by donors such as Hester.

(S)he's not black, (s)he's my mate. Meanwhile, she'll do like Sunak et al and forget her colour, race and everything else that marks her apart from the Tory ideal.

[kreuzberger]

Her Uncle Tom-foolery will impress nobody. Within barely 24 hours in the job, she has pissed off the huge cohort of Covid bereaved, and her Reform-voting target demographic would happily clap her in irons and have her driven to a Gatwick removal centre.

All in all, a most satisfying start to the new era.

[Youngian]

Badenoch won North West Essex with less than 3000 vote majority and the runners up Labour didn't even contest the constituency (a bone of contention with Eastern region Labour). Lib Dems to the north and south of her and Labour gaining a neighboring constituency. Where she is sitting positioning the party on the right is not credible. Kemi made it clear this morning that politics is a serious business and she's not in a popularity contest. That's Starmer territory and doesn't sound like a woman interested in populist clownery to be loved in Clacton or Stoke. If the anti-woke bollocks and pro Brexit drivel is sidelined, she could become a challenge for Labour.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Her Uncle Tom-foolery will impress nobody. Within barely 24 hours in the job, she has pissed off the huge cohort of Covid bereaved, and her Reform-voting target demographic would happily clap her in irons and have her driven to a Gatwick removal centre.

All in all, a most satisfying start to the new era.

I don't know if that's true. Reform were really talking up Zia Yusuf, apparently sincerely. Sure, he wouldn't be leading the party but even so, I think "culture not race" is something some Reform people believe of themselves. Kemi could appeal to some of them.

[Crabcakes]

If the anti-woke bollocks and pro Brexit drivel is sidelined, she could become a challenge for Labour.

This is a very, very big ‘if’ though. Evidence so far shows she doesn’t seem to have much else *but* culture war points, and her ham-fisted start in saying partygate was overblown shows she has little empathy (or little awareness she should at least try and project some) and instead seems to be very much of the Johnson mould that any sort of scrutiny or questioning is simply intolerable.

She also likes to be tribal, holds grudges and is arrogant, so will want a cabinet who don’t challenge or question her - making her already slim pickings even slimmer.

A mediocre, abrasive, smug and aloof leader in charge of the equivalent of a division 3 reserve team is going to have to rely on a Labour catastrophe to make inroads. She can say she doesn’t think politics is a popularity contest, but when you’re attempting to resurrect a currently loathed opposition party, it really fucking is.

[Abernathy]

The main talking point from her interview with Kuenssberg seemed to be that her favoured economic policy would be the precise opposite of that which was outlined by Rachel Reeves on Wednesday. She is wedded to the Tory shibboleth of “the small state” - something which, with Labour in power, is hopefully an increasingly discredited and ill-favoured idea. Can’t see her getting many handholds for the Tory recovery on that same old same old basis.

[Philip Marlow]

This is a very, very big ‘if’ though. Evidence so far shows she doesn’t seem to have much else *but* culture war points, and her ham-fisted start in saying partygate was overblown shows she has little empathy (or little awareness she should at least try and project some) and instead seems to be very much of the Johnson mould that any sort of scrutiny or questioning is simply intolerable.

I did wonder what the hell she was playing at with the Partygate line. Yes she was in government at the time, but it’s not a scandal she’s personally that strongly tied to and a boilerplate apology would probably have sufficed for the purposes of an interview. Maybe she didn’t want to contradict Johnson’s ‘I’m sorry I said I was sorry. Fuck you all.’ take on the COVID years, but putting a bit of clear blue water between her leadership and his doesn’t seem like the worst idea either.

In terms of broken barriers and shattered glass ceilings, it’s not really my place to be too obstreperous on the matter. So, over to Nesrine Malik…

[Youngian]

Essentially the same Mail headline bestowed on five Tory leaders in under a decade.

[Crabcakes]

The oddest part of that headline is the framing that she has any power to do anything whatsoever. Badenoch could say she wants huge investment in chewing gum to lead the UK's revival - it means fuck all because she doesn't get to implement jack shit.

It reads like the Tories are still in office and this is just 'the next tory PM' getting the same glowing review as May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak did. Are the Mail writing headlines now just to keep Dacre happy in his twilight years?


Also, I think any discussion on breaking glass ceilings needs to be paired with one about pulling up ladders and drawbridges. Labour may not have had a female and/or black and/or asian leader, but they have baked in equality and this is reflected in the diversity of cabinet and the make-up of MPs. But every Tory leader who has been a 'first' has also gone out of their way to make it as difficult as possible for anyone to follow in their footsteps. In some cases directly removing advantages they themselves had. That's the absolute opposite of progress and equality.

[Andy McDandy]

First draft of history, or first wrap of fish and chips. Either way, the amount of work is the same.

[Nigredo]

Essentially the same Mail headline bestowed on five Tory leaders in under a decade.

Wonder if Dacre commissioned that through gritted teeth.

[Youngian]

Badenoch is a live and let live agnostic, I'll stand corrected but does that make her the first Tory leader not to profess any specific faith?
https://premierchristian.news/us/news/a ... der-chosen

[Tubby Isaacs]

Cameron said he was CofE in a very loose sense.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I think there' something good about how being black isn't a problem even for Tory members. Is anybody being asked to be happy beyond that point, or being told they can't criticize her? If so, then it's funny Labour didn't last beyond Sunday morning.

[Youngian]

Cameron said he was CofE in a very loose sense.

Like Johnson's catholicism from what we know about him.

[Crabcakes]

Priti Patel is shadow foreign secretary. So we know who’ll be having a go when the rank and file get fed up of Badenoch.

Braverman will be furious.