As a Tory, I say things are looking up. Farage is fading, and the looming threat to No 10 is called Kemi | Simon Hart

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>My party has seen difficult times – but with a few canny moves the leader is finally cutting through, and there are clear signs of recovery</p><p>Something is afoot. The bookies can feel it. “Badenoch overtakes Farage as favourite to be next prime minister,” was <a href="https://news.williamhill.com/politics/badenoch-overtakes-farage-as-favourite-to-be-next-prime-minister/">the word</a> from betting website William Hill this week.</p><p>Let me tell you what is happening. This is a challenging political time. Even today, there is controversy for Kemi Badenoch to deal with. But as a Conservative it seems to me that in the past few tumultuous weeks, she has shown many of the qualities necessary in a party leader: to appear easy-going and humorous; to craft a style that teases her opponents rather than being snide or unkind; and to do this all confidently enough to leave sceptics thinking that she really could be the next prime minister.</p><p>Simon Hart was Conservative government chief whip from 2022 to 2024, and is the author of <a href="https://guardianbookshop.com/ungovernable-9781035068838/">Ungovernable</a>, the political diaries of a chief whip</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/07/farage-fading-threat-no-10-kemi-badenoch-conservative-party">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.