If there’s one good thing that’s come out of the last 14 miserable years of Tory rule, it’s that the Conservatives have proven to the electorate just how unfit they are to lead the UK. Sure, that’s left the door open to Reform UK, but I’m trying to look on the bright side here. Now, according to YouGov polling, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch is facing a crisis of confidence even among the members of her own party.

It’s rare that we here at the Canary agree with card-carrying Conservatives on anything much, but we’ve got to give them this one – we think she’s absolutely fucking dire too.

How’s that for reaching across the divide?

Empty seats, empty words

YouGov reported that:

Three in ten members (29%) view Badenoch unfavourably, even if 70% see her in a positive light, while 37% of members believe she is doing a bad job as party leader, compared to 61% believing she’s doing a good job.

And when it comes to the big question of whether Badenoch should lead the Tories into the next general election, party members are near evenly split: 50% believing that Badenoch should not lead the Conservatives at the ballot box, relative to 46% who feel she should be the party’s prime ministerial candidate in 2029.

Even among those who voted for her to be party leader last year, 30% believe Badenoch should be replaced as party leader by the next general election.

What’s more, that lack of confidence seems to be reflected in the attendance (or lack thereof) at the current Tory Party annual conference. Running from Sunday 5 to Wednesday 8 October, the event should have been the biggest in the Conservative calendar.

However, Sky News filmed the main hall whilst shadow ministers gave their speeches, showing an absolutely damning number of empty seats. Badenoch, for her part, insisted that her speech was standing-room only – though even she noted the lack of business investors at the event.

So what exactly has Badenoch said that’s made her a pariah among voters? Lets take a quick look.

Surprise: it’s all racism

Two days ago, the Conservative leader stated that she’d like to remodel British immigration enforcement after America’s ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement). She said that the UK:

must tackle the scourge of illegal immigration into Britain and secure our borders. That is why the Conservatives are setting out a serious and comprehensive new plan to end this crisis.

ICE is incredibly unpopular even among US Americans. Its net approval tanked from +15 in February 2025 to -13 in late July. The organisation regularly arrests, detains and deports individuals without due process, regardless of their legal status. Not that any of that has affected Kemi’s admiration of the ghouls, apparently.

At its best, a welfare system acts like a trampoline: cushioning your fall & propelling you back onto your feet. It shouldn’t act like a net that engulfs you, making it almost impossible to climb out.

Conservatives are the only party with the backbone to fix it – and save £23bn.

— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) October 6, 2025

Badenoch has also championed Tory plans to cut £47bn a year in public spending, including £23bn in welfare alone. A large portion of that comes from a proposal to deny benefits to overseas nationals. That includes those with indefinite leave to remain, even if they’ve lived here and paid their taxes for decades.

Conservatives will withdraw from the ECHR and repeal the Human Rights Act.

Our detailed plan for stronger borders closes the door, once and for all, on the legal blocks that stop us removing those who have no right to be here. pic.twitter.com/oBSOiQv80F

— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) October 5, 2025

The Tory leader has also flip-flopped on her support for the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Just last year, she stated that the UK leaving the ECHR wouldn’t be a “silver bullet” for immigration. Now, however, she’s U-turned to the belief that the convention makes it too hard to deport foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers. Badenoch said:

I have not come to this decision lightly, but it is clear that it is necessary to protect our borders, our veterans, and our citizens.

I have always been clear that we should leave the ECHR, if necessary, but unlike other parties we have done the serious work to develop a plan to do so – backed by legal advice from a distinguished King’s Counsel.

Labour accused the leader of being “too weak to stand up to her own party in the face of Reform”. We’ll ignore, for the moment, the fact that Starmer is leading his party’s charge in mimicking Farage’s outright racism, mind you.

Nothing left on the right for Badenoch

So, what have we got from Badenoch here exactly?

Copying ICE for UK immigration enforcement, so that we can inflict more pain on immigrants.Saving billions in welfare… by denying the money to immigrants.And leaving the ECHR… so that we’re allowed to inflict more pain on immigrants.

We’ve said it before about Starmer, but it applies double to Kemi Badenoch. You are not going to out-racism Reform UK. There’s no position you can take that the snake-oil salesmen of the far-right can’t immediately double-down on.

Badenoch has become a figurehead of a party that’s completely devoid of ideas. She’s standing on stage, telling us just how much she hates immigrants, and asking us to clap. As her empty conference hall shows, nobody’s listening anymore.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alex/Rose Cocker

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