Would she be Starmer’s worst nightmare?

One of the interesting moves in the CON leadership contest is a statement of support from Michael Gove for Johnson’s successor. She’s currently the Minister of State for Local Government and Communities and her boss used to be Michael Gove who has had a big impact on previous Tory leadership races.

A quick search on YouTube finds her coming over as a very effective speaker. This is how James Forsyth in the Speccie rates her noting that she could be:

Keir Starmer’s worst nightmare’ and she has a ‘focus intellect and no-bulls**t drive’.It is not every day that someone throws their weight behind someone who was their junior minister until a few days ago Gove’s support is a coup for Badenoch. It is not every day that someone throws their weight behind someone who was their junior minister until a few days ago. Gove makes a typically eloquent case. But the jump for Badenoch from being a minister of state to being prime minister would be immense. The challenge for her is persuading 120 MPs – the final-two threshold – that she can make that leap at a time when there is an energy crisis, a security crisis and inflation…If the Tories were holding this leadership contest after a general election defeat, you could very easily see how Badenoch’s candidacy could take off and she could win the whole thing. But in office this there is no time to prepare: you have to be ready to be PM on day one and it is a stretch to think that any minister of state is.

What is intriguing about this election is that there are big negatives about all the contenders with no real obvious favourite. It is only a short time ago that Sunak nose-dived in the betting following negative reports.

I have had a small punt.

Mike Smithson