Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has been tipped as the favored candidate for the next Tory Party leader, securing 38% of the vote in a Conservative Home poll. This positions her at the top of the league table, according to a poll of members.
Penny Mordaunt holds the second position with 23%, followed by Suella Braverman at 14%. Badenoch and Braverman, although not Tory MPs, are considered potential future leaders.
Eighteen members support ineligible candidate Nigel Farage, and 16 back Boris Johnson, as reported by Daily Mail.
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Paul Goodman, editor of the Tory grassroots website, noted that as the first survey of the Next Tory leader in two years, it is significant given the exclusion of leadership elections.
The survey, based on responses from 647 participants, is seen as an important indicator of popularity among Tory members, who will play a crucial role in selecting the next party leader if the Conservatives lose the general election.
Badenoch was also recognized as Conservative Minister of the Year, with Braverman and Mordaunt following suit.
“If both our survey and YouGov were right, she was the membership’s candidate of choice during the first leadership election of 2022.
“She has perhaps been at her most visible this year taking robust positions on trans conversion therapy and trans pupils in schools,” Goodman added.
According to ConservativeHome’s monthly popularity league table for Cabinet ministers, Rishi Sunak experienced his lowest negative rating to date.
Badenoch emerged as the most popular, with Mordaunt and Johnny Mercer, the veterans’ minister, following closely in the rankings.
