Tuesday, April 7, 2026 - Leader of the United Kingdom's Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has become the most popular political party leader as the public warms to her straight talking, a poll has revealed.
Badenoch, who was born in London and spent part of her early
years in Nigeria, has seen a significant boost to her popularity in recent
months, surpassing Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in approval ratings.
The survey by More in Common revealed Mrs Badenoch has a net
approval rating of minus 9, a remarkable change of fortunes for the Tory
leader, who had a minus 32 net rating ahead of her party conference in October.
She is ahead of Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey,
on minus 11, and Mr Farage, on minus 16, the survey by pollsters More In Common
found.
Kemi is also ahead of Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who
sits on minus 16 despite his party seeing an upturn in the polls. And Prime
Minister Sir Keir Starmer is behind all four major party leaders on a lowly
minus 42.
The rating suggests a string of recent interventions have
helped solidify Mrs Badenoch's position, including her challenge to the PM over
Angela Rayner's tax affairs and the Peter Mandelson scandal.
However, the Conservative Party is yet to benefit from its
leader's boost in popularity, the poll suggests.
Mrs Badenoch still trails Mr Farage on metrics, including
strength and being a leader, but she scores higher on other measures, such as
caring about the public and transparency.
Luke Tryl, UK director of More In Common, said that Mrs
Badenoch's name recognition has also improved.
He told The Sunday Times: 'Whereas last summer we'd run
whole focus groups where no one would know who Kemi was, she is often now
brought up spontaneously, and even some of those who would never vote Tory say
they admire her conviction and straightforwardness.'
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