Talk about the fickle nature of politics. Two months ago, Kemi Badenoch was crowned as the Tory members’ favourite, according to the Conservative Home league table of party activists. But now her crown has been stolen by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, who nabs the top spot for the first time with an impressive +71.8 points.
Cleverly’s ascent comes after a month in the spotlight, dealing with the ongoing crisis over Gaza. As Paul Goodman, the editor of Conservative Home notes, his rise in standing bears some comparison to Ben Wallace, another military man. Wallace was the longtime favourite for 18 months before his departure in September, having impressed with his handling of Ukraine. The then Defence Secretary mulled a bid for the Tory leadership in July 2022 but eventually ruled it out. Might Cleverly go one step further…?
Badenoch meanwhile can take comfort from an enhanced satisfaction rate of +67 points. The Business and Trade Secretary claimed the runners-up slot, well ahead of Penny Mordaunt, Johnny Mercer and Suella Braverman who took third, fourth and fifth respectively. Rishi Sunak’s ratings meanwhile continue to yo-yo: in August he was mid-table, then in September he was negative. Following his conference speech the Prime Minister was up to 26 points; now he is on 7.1 and ninth from bottom.
Still, constant ups-and-downs are preferable to, er, constant downs. Poor old Jeremy Hunt completes the quartet of the Great Offices of State with negative ratings once again, polling as the second least popular member of the cabinet with a rating of -23 points among Tory members.
Good luck in that reshuffle Chancellor…
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