Kemi Badenoch sees rise in approval amid Conservative Party polling shifts

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has seen a notable rise in personal approval ratings despite the party's ongoing struggles in broader polling. While the Conservative Party has previously hovered between 14% and 16% in polls, recent data suggests a slight increase into the low 20s, occasionally surpassing Reform UK.

Political analysts note a “Kemi bounce,” with her personal approval ratings improving significantly from as low as -30 to near net neutral. Observers suggest that while the party brand remains a challenge, voters may find her more authentic, with some expressing a preference for her leadership style even if they do not support the party.

In a recent interview, Badenoch faced scrutiny regarding her grasp of political history. When discussing the 1990s, she described the decade as a period of “quite a lot of stability and there wasn’t that much news about,” a comment that drew attention given the era's major geopolitical shifts, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union and the outbreak of war in the Balkans.