Leader of the opposition is regarded by many as the worst job in British politics. Peter Hennessy called the post ‘a transit camp – to either glory or oblivion’; Denis Healey quoted The Odyssey, saying it was better to be the ‘meanest swine heard on earth’ than ‘king of all the shadows’. Denied Whitehall’s legions of functionaries, they must work on a shoestring, painfully aware that historical odds suggest their efforts are likely to fail.
Yet few holders of the role have faced a more awesome challenge than Kemi Badenoch. Today she marks 100 days as party leader, with the Conservatives facing a fight for survival. Her task is harder than many of her predecessors’. The last time the Conservatives began in opposition, William Hague’s team spent four agonising years working 16-hour days to win back power; in the end, they gained a single seat.
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