A YouGov poll has revealed that only one in four Conservative voters believes Kemi Badenoch looks like a prime minister-in-waiting as she approaches 100 days as Tory leader.
The survey shows that fewer than half of those who voted Conservative in the 2024 election (48%) see her as a prospective prime minister, while 26% do not.
Among the general population, only 14% believe Badenoch has what it takes to be prime minister, and among Labour, Liberal Democrat, and Reform UK voters—whom the Tories need to win over—about two-thirds do not see her as PM material.
The poll also paints a mixed picture of Badenoch’s personal image. While 39% of voters describe her as untrustworthy, only 19% consider her trustworthy. Similarly, 39% find her dislikable, compared to 24% who view her as likeable.
Despite these findings, Badenoch received support from a majority of 2024 Conservative voters, with 56% saying she is doing a good job as party leader, while 17% disagreed.
The poll comes during a challenging period for Badenoch, as a separate survey last week showed the Conservative Party slipping to third place behind Labour and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. However, the latest findings suggest that two-thirds of all voters, and 59% of Conservative voters, believe the party would face similar struggles regardless of its leader.
Badenoch, who was born in the UK to Nigerian parents, has maintained a strong stance on immigration, proposing that immigrants should live in the UK for at least 15 years before being eligible for British citizenship.
"Britain is our home, it’s not a hotel. It’s time to tell the truth on immigration and propose real plans," she stated, adding, "I want to reduce immigration and make living here actually mean something. The Conservative Party is going to do things differently."
Meanwhile, speculation is mounting about the possibility of a deal between the Conservatives and Reform UK to unite the right ahead of the next election. Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart declined to rule out such an alliance during a Sky News interview.
Polling by JL Partners for the Sunday Times suggests Reform UK could win 102 seats in the next election, up from five, while Labour would lose 211 seats but still emerge as the largest party with 200 MPs, ahead of the Conservatives with 190.
