Is Kemi Badenoch getting better at being Conservative leader?
Badenoch differentiated herself from Nigel Farage in response to Henry Nowakโs murder and supporters say her ratings are rising Kemi Badenoch has a hard-earned reputation for combativeness, especially on culture war issues, but at prime ministerโs questions, with the murder of the teenager Henry Nowak in the headlines, Keir Starmer ended up thanking the Conservative leader for her โtoneโ. So is she a changed politician? Well, not exactly. To an extent, Badenochโs approach ahead of her weekly Commons showdown with Starmer was shaped by events. Widespread concern on Wednesday at the police response to Nowakโs murder โ the student was handcuffed while he bled to death after being falsely accused of racism โ spiralled into rioting on Tuesday night. The imperative not to inflame matters further was obvious. Continue reading...