Kemi Badenoch boosts Tory polling ahead of potential election
Kemi Badenoch has secured a bounce in the polls as she puts the Tories on a war footing for a potential pre-Christmas election, reports BritPanorama.
The Tories were up three points in the latest Opinium survey, following her announcement at the party conference last week to exempt family homes from inheritance tax.
However, Labour remains well ahead, with the poll conducted between last Wednesday and Friday showing Andy Burnham’s party at 29 per cent. Reform saw a decline of two points to 23 per cent, while the Tories are at 20 per cent.
Meanwhile, the Greens fell two points to 9 per cent, and the Liberal Democrats held steady at 9 per cent.
Burnham has ruled out an early election, but speculation is growing in Westminster, particularly among some anxious Labour MPs, that he may seek to capitalise on the so-called ‘Burnham bounce’ since his rise to the premiership.
Labour is now consistently outperforming Reform in the polls, which is a notable shift. Electoral Calculus estimates this polling scenario could result in Labour securing 336 MPs, the Tories 114, and Reform 105.
Badenoch has stressed that the Tories must be prepared for an election “at any point.” The party has been gearing up for potential electoral action since July, focusing particularly on appealing to ‘Waitrose Woman’—the aspirational demographic associated with the upscale supermarket.
In remarks to the Mail on Sunday, Badenoch articulated the need for readiness, stating, “We know there’s a battle of ideas coming in British politics, and I’ve instructed the Conservative Party to be ready for an election at any point.”
She added, “When that election comes, there will be a simple choice between Conservative plans to get Britain working again and a Labour party that keeps putting up taxes, refuses to cut welfare, and won’t fund our defence.”
James Crouch, head of policy and public affairs at Opinium, noted: “Andy Burnham and Kemi Badenoch both delivered commanding speeches, secured positive headlines, and boosted their parties’ vote shares. Together, the two main parties now have their highest combined share in almost two years. The question is whether this is as good as it gets for the old guard or the beginning of a genuine trend.”
The survey questioned 2,050 UK adults between 7 and 9 October.
