![Kemi Badenoch is now shadow housing secretary after the Tory election defeat](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/politics/2024/07/14/TELEMMGLPICT000351725793_17209707648410_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Only Kemi Badenoch can ‘slay Reform dragon’, ex-Red Wall MP says
Poll of Tory members finds ex-business secretary clear front runner for leader
![Kemi Badenoch is now shadow housing secretary after the Tory election defeat](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/politics/2024/07/14/TELEMMGLPICT000351725793_17209707648410_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Kemi Badenoch should be elected Tory leader as she is the only one who can “slay the Reform dragon”, a former Red Wall MP has said.
Alex Stafford, who lost his South Yorkshire seat of Rother Valley in this month’s election, said the former business secretary was the candidate who “embodies Conservative values” and was the “clear front runner”.
He said she could win back those Tories who believed that in recent years the party had too often “talked Right but governed Left”.
Mr Stafford’s endorsement came as a poll of Tory members found that Ms Badenoch was the clear front runner.
The Conservative Home website found she had the backing of 26 per cent of members, leaving second-placed Robert Jenrick trailing on 13 per cent.
Tom Tugendhat is slightly behind, also on 13 per cent, with Suella Braverman on just 10 per cent and James Cleverly on 9 per cent. Priti Patel has the support of just 3 per cent of members.
Mr Stafford, who was elected as part of Boris Johnson’s 2019 victory, lost his seat by 998 votes.
Even though he had one of the smallest swings against him of any sitting Conservative MP, he lost in part because of the intervention of Reform UK.
![Alex Stafford lost his South Yorkshire seat of Rother Valley in this month's election](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/politics/2024/07/14/TELEMMGLPICT000231818356_17209706690530_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqqVzuuqpFlyLIwiB6NTmJwXmkeaw-Iu6iGPSICnTIiY0.jpeg?imwidth=350)
Writing for The Telegraph (see below), Mr Stafford urged the party not to rush into a leadership contest, and said the membership must be involved.
“While we are lucky to have several good candidates who are thinking of putting their name forward, there is a clear front runner who can slay the Reform dragon – Kemi Badenoch,” he said.
“Having been her parliamentary private secretary for the past 18 months, I saw first-hand how hardworking, principled, and above all an embodiment of Conservatism she is.
“From speaking out against the high levels of immigration, to starting the downfall of the SNP by stopping the Scottish gender recognition reform bill, Kemi again and again proves she knows what chimes with the public, and how to use it to thwart our political opponents.
“It is essential she comes forward and throws her hat into the ring for the leadership of our party.”
Ms Badenoch is now shadow housing secretary – a position she requested so she can square up against Angela Rayner.
Ms Rayner, who as well as being Deputy Prime Minister is also Housing Secretary, wants to bring in a new race equality act that would enshrine in law the right to equal pay for people from ethnic minorities.
Ms Badenoch has in the past said this equates to South African apartheid, with workers “classified by race”.
‘Race is wide open’
The Conservative Home website showed that 16 per cent of members still did not know whom they would support.
Henry Hill, the website’s deputy editor, said: “Conservative leadership contests normally end up with a candidate of the Right versus a candidate of the centre, which on these results would likely mean a final round between Tom Tugendhat and either Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick.
“But with ‘don’t know’ the second-largest group, and a wide spread of support between potential candidates, at this stage the race is wide open.”
Mr Stafford said Labour’s majority was “built on sand”. He added: “What is clear is that again and again seats were lost as the traditional Right-leaning vote share was split between the Conservatives and Reform.
“If only a fraction of the Reform vote had gone to the Conservatives, tens of seats, including my own, would have stayed blue.
“We must never allow the Right to split again. If that happens, the Right loses, and so does the country.”
People voted for Reform because they felt overlooked by both the Conservative and Labour parties, he said.
“Whether it is on law and order, taxation, welfare, and especially immigration, for too long, we have talked Right but governed Left on the issues that matter most to people in the country,” he added.
“It is our job over the next five years to win these people back. The Conservative Party must regroup, rebuild and reunite our electoral coalition of 2019 all over again.”
Time is on our side to pick a new Conservative leader
By Alex Stafford, former Conservative MP for Rother Valley
Last Thursday was a historic day for the Conservatives. Up and down the country Tory MPs, some with majorities of over 25,000, fell to a combination of Labour, Lib Dem and Reform. I was one of those who was swept away by the rising tide. Even though I had one of the smallest swings against me of any sitting Conservative MP, I lost my seat by just over 2 per cent.
It is clear now that as the party licks its wounds, we must focus on the reasons for defeat, overcome them and rebuild to fight and win the election in five years’ time. The Labour victory is only paper thin. Holding such a large majority with only 34 per cent of the vote, and dozens of seats only being lost by a few percentage points, there is no guarantee that Labour’s base is built on anything more than sand.
What is clear is that again and again seats were lost as the traditional Right-leaning vote share was split between the Conservatives and Reform. If only a fraction of the Reform vote had gone to the Conservatives, tens of seats, including my own, would have stayed blue. We must never allow the Right to split again. If that happens, the Right loses, and so does the country.
There is clearly a reason people voted for Reform. Many feel let down and overlooked by both the Conservative and Labour parties. Whether it is on law and order, taxation, welfare, and especially immigration, for too long, we have talked Right but governed Left on the issues that matter most to people in the country. It is our job over the next five years to win these people back. The Conservative Party must regroup, rebuild and reunite our electoral coalition of 2019 all over again. Even in seats that we lost to the Liberal Democrats it was the splitting of the Right vote that ushered in our defeat.
One of the things we have on our side is time. It is clear Labour has no interest or need to call another election for another five years. It knows its victory is only skin deep and will want to use that time to entrench its support and use all the levers available to it, such as votes at 16, to ensure its clings on to power.
We need to make sure we take our time to choose, test and vet all the leadership candidates thoroughly. We cannot be allowed to rush into a leadership contest such as in 2017 and 2022. We can afford to take our time – as the right candidate will return us to power, and the wrong candidate could ultimately lead us to be crushed between Reform on one side and the Liberal Democrats on the other.
We need someone who can look at and properly understand what went wrong. Someone with integrity who is driven by values and the pursuit of truth. Someone who can show us what it means to be a Conservative in Britain and what it takes for Britain to prosper in a rapidly changing world. It is essential that our new leader is someone who is rooted in a principled Conservative ideology and someone with the character to lead this party. And, above all, we need to make sure that they are winners.
While we are lucky to have several good candidates who are thinking of putting their name forward, there is a clear front runner who can slay the Reform dragon – Kemi Badenoch. Having been her parliamentary private secretary for the past 18 months, I saw first hand how hardworking, principled, and above all an embodiment of Conservatism she is. From speaking out against the high levels of immigration, to starting the downfall of the SNP by stopping the Scottish gender recognition reform bill, Kemi again and again proves she knows what chimes with the public, and how to use it to thwart our political opponents. It is essential she comes forward and throws her hat into the ring for the leadership of our party.
Nevertheless, we cannot be rushed into this decision, and the membership must have a key part to play in this – rather than all too often the beauty contest they are given. For it is only by rebuilding Conservatism as a genuine popular movement, proud of our values, views and achievements, that we will win back our lost areas, and defeat this uninspiring Labour Government.