Is there a 'Kemi-naissance' for the Tories? Badenoch continues to grow in popularity among voters as Brits see her as a 'strong' and 'decisive' leader

By GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 13:43, 13 August 2026 | Updated: 13:43, 13 August 2026 Kemi Badenoch's growing popularity among Britons is fuelling talk of a 'Kemi-naissance' for the Conservatives under her leadership. YouGov polling shows an increasing proportion of voters believe Mrs Badenoch is performing well as Tory leader and that she looks like a prime minister-in-waiting. The latest research found nearly two-fifths (38 per cent) of the public think she is doing a good job as Leader of the Opposition, which is up 23 percentage points since October last year. Meanwhile, more than a quarter (27 per cent) of Britons believe she could be the country's next premier - around triple the 8 per cent who felt so at the time of the Tory conference in 2025. More than a third (35 per cent) of voters have a favourable opinion of Mrs Badenoch, which is up 14 percentage points from 10 months ago. Britons are now around twice as likely to describe the Tory leader as 'decisive' than 'indecisive', by 43 per cent to 21 per cent. The public also tends to see her as 'strong' rather than 'weak' (by 40 per cent to 24 per cent), and 'competent' rather than 'incompetent' (by 40 per cent to 27 per cent). But there are signs the Conservatives continue to face trust issues with voters, as only a quarter (25 per cent) of the public consider Mrs Badenoch to be 'trustworthy' - up just seven points since last October - while 37 per cent think she's 'untrustworthy'. Kemi Badenoch's growing popularity among Britons is fuelling talk of a 'Kemi-naissance' for the Conservatives under her leadership YouGov polling shows an increasing proportion of voters believe Mrs Badenoch is performing well as Tory leader and that she looks like a prime minister-in-waiting. Britons are now around twice as likely to describe the Tory leader as 'decisive' than 'indecisive', by 43 per cent to 21 per cent Mrs Badenoch's increase in favourability since last autumn has been strongest among those who backed the Tories and Reform UK at the 2024 general election Despite the growth in her popularity, nearly half of Britons (46 per cent) still hold an unfavourable opinion of Mrs Badenoch  Mrs Badenoch's increase in favourability since last autumn has been strongest among those who backed the Tories (up 21 points to 74 per cent) and Reform UK (up 20 points to 53 per cent) at the 2024 general election. Some 24 per cent of those who backed the Liberal Democrats in 2024 now have a positive opinion of the Tory leader (up 13 points), while Mrs Badenoch has also enjoyed a nine-point increase in favourability among Labour voters (to 17 per cent) and seven-point rise among Green voters (to 13 per cent). But, despite the growth in her popularity, nearly half of Britons (46 per cent) still hold an unfavourable opinion of Mrs Badenoch, with the same proportion (46 per cent) believing she does not look like a prime minister-in-waiting.  The Conservatives have also failed to mirror the double-digit improvements in their party leader's personal ratings. Last October, the Tories consistently recorded a 17 per cent vote share in YouGov's voting intention tracker, while the party has averaged 20 per cent of the vote over the last month. Just one in five Britons (19 per cent) currently believe the Conservatives are ready for government. This is up from just 9 per cent last October, but only a third of the 57 per cent of the public who see the Tories as unsuited for a return to power. The public currently backs new Labour leader Andy Burnham over Mrs Badenoch by a 12-point margin in a head-to-head over who would make the best prime minister (38 per cent to 26 per cent). But Britons support Mrs Badenoch when given a choice between her and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as premier (41 per cent to 17 per cent).