Kemi elected leader of the Tory party

So good. I'm delighted his mean nastiness has been usurped by her great news

David Tenant in shambles.

Once again, arguing that SMP is excessive is not what I would describe as standing up for women's rights.

She did, though. Yes, of course she later tried to backtrack when she realised that her statement was politically damaging, but if you read through what she said, it's very clear that she was saying that SMP was excessive and had gone too far. As far as I can see, there is no other way to interpret her comments, but do feel free to come back and try and twist her words into meaning something completely different.

I think Badeoch is an impressive figure in many ways - confident, articulate and charismatic. And unlike many politicians, she is very direct and says what she actually thinks. While this is refreshing to a certain degree, I suspect that, in the end, it will be her undoing, because her views are actually quite extreme.

It must be terrifying for misogynists like FreedomDogs to see a strong black woman leading a political party who actually stands up, clearly and unapologetically, for women's rights. Feeling frit, are you, Freedom?

I think a lot of women just focus on the trans /gender issue but I don't think she's that feminist. She made dodgy comments about maternity pay and SEND (which, often the woman is the full time carer of children with additional needs) so I hope she was taken out of context but keeping an open mind.

She didn't!

I think that Badenoch will turn out to be more centrist than it currently appears. She understands the importance of principle, but she can also be pragmatic. She's also both intelligent and sensible. If she uses her principles mainly to inform her actions rather than simply to direct them, there's no doubt that she could be a very effective leader (ha! I just reread this, and it looks like a school report! So be it...)

So first the upside - a lot of diehard racists and sexists will transfer their affections to Reform. Let them go and don't be whoring after them. It will be good for the Tories long term. Secondly she will hold Labour to account on Self ID and related issues.

On the broader questions of the economy and foreign policy I don't see what she has to offer that Liz Truss didn't tbh. But ....she has time on her hands and no great expectations. She could reinvent Tory policy de novo?

Kemi Badenoch as Prime Minister: potentially terrifying.

Kemi Badenoch as Leader of the Opposition: great opportunity to see what she's actually all about

Good. That stale, pale bloke is thick as two short planks.

The centre isn’t fixed, look at what’s happening in the EU, US it’s on a knife edge

I think she could do a good job, I get she prompts reactions as below but I think that’s no bad thing. People who would never vote for Conservatives may want Cleverly but not much between him and Starmer

Maybe some lower debt and taxes but that’ll be a soft sell after Labour’s five years

💯

@EasternStandard I don't think she'll be removed now. I just think that in maybe 3ish years, the Tories will remember that in this country you win from the centre, and will go for James Cleverly (or someone like him).

As you said, we'll see. It's only a prediction, and I could easily be wrong - after all it took a couple of general election losses for Labour to realise Corbyn and the far left was no good.

Parties lose power, they elect a bad leader, flounder for a bit, pull themselves together, and elect someone better.

No I think it is just the conservative view that the state should set less regulations on businesses. So it could be part of the benefits package that companies offer, just like an employer pension contribution, and not mandated by the state. She didn’t actually say that maternity pay was too much, she said that statutory maternity pay was. Then the media made a big story out of it. I don’t neccessarily agree, it just annoys me when stories get made up in newspapers - see a lot of that on the gender stuff.

Some companies do offer competitively set maternity and paternity pay as part of their benefits package i.e. higher than SMP. I think every company that values their employees and thinks about long term employee engagement should offer a decent level.

Think this just demonstrates how far out of step Tory membership is with the rest of the country. Last election proved definitively anti-trans posturing isn't a vote winner. She won't provide "robust opposition" she'll just sound nasty and batshit, on all topics. She'll say something indefensible and be out long before the next election. The winner of this vote was only ever going to be a placeholder.

What's going to happen to stop either of them? Had it been Jenrick

They've just gone through the process, there's no need to remove anyone. Who are you envisaging as taking over?

@EasternStandard as I said, I'd have felt the same about Jenrick.

Let's see

I've seen so many posts saying there wouldn't be chance she'd be elected as the leader at all

I get the sense people tend to underestimate her

I wouldn't be surprised if she put forward polices at the next GE to overturn some gender stuff

Oh I don't think there's a chance she'll be leading the Tory party into the next election.

And I'd have said that if Jenrick won as well.

I wouldn't be surprised if she put forward polices at the next GE to overturn some gender stuff

There could be a way out for the UK and others could follow.

I guess she thinks that companies should offer maternity pay conditions as part of the overall benefit package they provide (incl. pension, health insurance etc) rather than the state mandating a minimum amount. So I didn’t read her response as an attack on maternity pay

If she meant what you've said, that maternity pay shouldn't be dictated by gov, that is absolutely an attack on maternity pay because it strongly implies a desire to get rid of SMP.

I think she’ll be great in holding Labour to account on the gender stuff, this is the best outcome.

I think the maternity pay issue has been misrepresented as she was talking about regulation on businesses being too much, and not specifically maternity pay (that was a question). I guess she thinks that companies should offer maternity pay conditions as part of the overall benefit package they provide (incl. pension, health insurance etc) rather than the state mandating a minimum amount. So I didn’t read her response as an attack on maternity pay, just the usual conservative view that the state should do less and individuals/ business have more freedom. I’m not neccessarily agreeing with this, I don’t how it is in other countries e.g. France, Germany on the balance of where maternity pay is set between state and business.

Well, I wish her luck, she's much better than Jenrick would have been. Her main job is to hold Labour to account and she's more than capable of doing that.

I hope you're right!

I just found all the listening/ changing stuff on the webchat Blah.

I loved her sharpness on the brief on the gender stuff and her braveness, I hope we see that Kemi. Really sharp on policy and brave.

I don't want hopey/ changey aspiring talk I want policy.
We'll see . It's going to be intersting.