Kemi has shown she’s fearless. That’s exactly what our party needs

I believe she has the right attributes: integrity, courage, and the ability to grow in stature as opposition leader

Iain Duncan Smith, 20th October 2024

As the ballots go out to members, I feel it is important to explain why I have chosen to vote for Kemi Badenoch to be the Conservative Party’s next leader. I respect Robert Jenrick as a politician, but when I considered the scale of the challenge facing the Conservatives and the threat we now face from a determined Reform Party, I decided to support Kemi Badenoch.

Let me explain.

First, any new leader will have to face up to the scale of the challenge – the biggest I can recall in my political lifetime. The stark truth is that millions of Conservative voters deserted us in July, either by staying at home or voting for Reform. They became so disappointed in the Conservative government that their primary goal was to remove us from power.

Yet, they didn’t vote for Keir Starmer’s Labour. Labour polled only 33% of the vote, the lowest share of any party forming a post-war majority government.

It’s no wonder that our voters deserted us. In government, we began to look like a rabble, unwilling to be led and characterised by infighting amongst senior ministers. It cost us dearly, which is why we must take the Reform Party very seriously.

Of course, the pandemic derailed the post-2019 programme of government. The extreme measures taken during the outbreak dramatically damaged our economy. Then, Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine added to the cost of living crisis, high interest rates, and high taxes.

On top of all that, immigration soared. A Conservative government, frustrated by the UK courts and seemingly unable to get a grip on illegal migration, appeared to have lost control of our borders, while the scale of legal immigration also raised concerns.

I have heard it said during this leadership campaign that all we need to do is remind the voting public of our great past successes, and by doing so, show them the error of their ways in supporting Reform. This is the electoral equivalent of hiding our heads under a warm blanket; relying on ‘buyer’s remorse’ by those who deserted us won’t bring Conservative voters back.

No, whoever we pick to lead our Party must, through personality and determination, call out our mistakes while taking the fight to Labour.

I believe Kemi has those traits. How ironic, then, that she is now being criticised as too aggressive. Aggression is a key part of opposition: when tempered and controlled, it enables a leader to lead the attack on a failing Labour government.

I know how difficult it is to lead in opposition. With little money and limited resources, the leader must be able to take the fight to the government. That is the first phase of earning the right to be heard, and from there, developing a renewed policy platform that Conservatives can rally behind.

Kemi has shown that she is not afraid to come under attack for the things she believes. For example, she stood up to the trans lobby and fashionable opinions on sex and gender. By taking a principled position, she saw off the Scottish government’s self-ID legislation and, I believe, courageously changed the tone of the entire debate. Even Labour has had to accept that it’s wrong to give children puberty blockers and that we must protect single-sex spaces.

Being opposition leader is a hard and often lonely occupation. Whoever is elected leader deserves our full support. Party politicians too often expect instantaneous results and let their frustrations lead to more infighting. My colleagues need to refrain from such instincts and get behind the new leader.

I am supporting Kemi because I believe she has the right attributes: integrity, courage, and the ability to grow in stature as opposition leader. At this time, faced by such huge challenges to our way of life, internally and externally, the leader will need to show Conservatives are competent, reach out to those who left us by speaking with common sense and most of all, fight every day to protect our country and our values of family, taking personal responsibility and above all, freedom.

I believe Kemi can do that.

‍

‍