Kemi Badenoch through to next round

[InTheCanteen]

If you have a Conservative MP and want to protect the rights of women and safeguard children please email them TONIGHT and ask them to support Kemi.

Penny Mordaunt still the bookies favourite (and they aren't often wrong) but we need to let everyone know how dangerous it will be for this woman to become PM; I don't believe she has changed her mind for one moment.

I’m predicting Truss picks up enough of Badenoch’s votes to knock out Mordaunt. She’ll probably beat Sunak but that’s not definite.

If what I think is going to happen tomorrow happens then we can all breathe a temporary sigh of relief from a GC perspective. Not really a side issue, is it?

Yep.

Although moot now, as she's out. She was never getting to the final round anyway, that much has been obvious for a while, hence was clearly not a real threat because it simply wouldn't have happened. Not enough MPs like her.

Looking more likely the final two will be Sunak and Truss and based on polls if it's put to the party then Truss would win.

I wouldn't completely rule out a back room deal where Truss drops out to allow Sunak to take it seeing as MPs have shown a strong preference for Sunak in opposition to the grassroots members.

It looks likely that the last two will be Sunak and Truss, then. And if the members won't have Sunak, we will have PM Liz Truss. Hmm. I like that she stopped the GRA reforms, but I've not seen much else to like. She comes across as very tetchy and brittle, she's not considered overly bright by many of her colleagues, and I don't think she will win the confidence of the population at large. Well, we'll see.

Truss is pretty clear on sex vs gender. She doesn't really do "It's complicated " so we get that positive if nothing else.
Her vs Starmer will be interesting. Again, women's rights are about all the Tories have going for them

I'm probably being thick, but I don't understand your second paragraph. How would she benefit by dropping out at this stage?

Truss won’t drop out. She disagrees with Sunak on economic policy. And yes she’s a bit mad but she really isn’t thick. I wish we could get away from treating highly educated economists as idiots because they’re blonde women. She used to be the Economic Director at Cable and Wireless. She’s not stupid.

She probably wouldn't but it has been known for those sort of deals to be made in leadership elections so I was just covering all bases really.

Truss is definitely not thick, but is she a leader? Out of all the candidates I reckon that Badenoch and Mourdant were the obvious leaders. I also think that the Penny has dropped with the public - her moment has come and gone (just like Hunt's in 2019) whereas Badenoch has strengthened her position and could challenge strongly next time the post becomes free (which will be straight after the next election if the Tories lose it).

I think she's reasonably diligent and hard working, certainly compared to the last guy. She isn't a particularly good communicator and that tends to be what people base opinions on.

@AlecTrevelyan006

We’ll see. I wouldn’t have called Brown a leader or May, or Major, but none of them made terrible Prime Ministers.

Just Google it. A guardian article quoting her is one of the top results.

I agree about Major and Brown - not sure about May. The thing with Major is that he was a clean break with Thatcher who had become 'toxic'. Both Sunak and Truss are, imho, still too closely associated with Johnson.

Still, we shall see one way or the other.

Good grief people... Kemi Badenoch is a right wing horror and her not supporting self-ID does not, repeat not, redeem that. Please keep some sense of perspective.

She'll find plenty of ways to harm women w/out supporting self-ID. I find myself in the ironic position of wanting the only man still in contest to win, as he was the only one to stick unambiguously with net zero. Climate change is a bigger issue than gender woo.

@ThreeLocusts

Unfortunately “get some perspective, woman” stopped working in the 50s. I make my own mind up about which issues are important.

As a floating voter I don't think calling people who are right of the centre 'horrors', or calling people voting Tory 'scum' is a particularly winning argument from the left, in fact it's really disrespectful and off-putting.

I understood that it is part of the process that the last two can’t make a deal and two have to be presented as options for leader to the members.

Why do you think they didn’t keep Tom Tugendhadt as a break from Johnson/better John Major whom the country might have voted for in a general election?

Without being as clever as some of the others, he is probably good at making up a good team which includes able people, and leading them well.

@ScrollingLeaves

Because half the job is economics, and especially during a recession or likely recession and cost of living crisis. He has no ministerial experience. His degree was in Theology. He’s a decent and thoughtful man but that’s not going to allow him to run the economy.

Agree with @ThreeLocusts . Kemi's professed views are extremely backward looking , particularly on the sanctity of the family, and immigration. She would be very scary as PM.

For those that think Labour governments are a panacea for all the ills - 'key issues concerning Kiwi voters right now are a cost of living crisis brought about by the highest inflation in three decades, stagnating wages and economic growth, unaffordable housing, a health system running on fumes, and a rise in violent crime. ' unherd.com/thepost/new-zealand-falls-out-of-love-with-jacinda-ardern/

All immaterial now because she’s out.

@stillherenow

Did she ever say “the sanctity of the family”?

I agree Truss isn’t thick and a choice between her and Mordaunt I prefer Truss as she picked up at last debate and PM languished, the latter just too painfully vague to get a clear steer from.

I’’m surprised Sunak is not liked so much with party voters, especially given MP support - why is that?

economic policy or other?

No I'm not quoting her but she's spoken a few times about family breakdowns being a major issue, and as a single parent, that sends shivers down my spine.