Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has warned that simply replacing the party’s leadership will not be enough to recover from its worst local election results in a generation, after the Tories lost hundreds of council seats across England.
Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Badenoch said the party had suffered a “bad night,” but insisted it would “come out fighting” and continue with its long-term recovery strategy. “We are not going to fix this after six months of leadership,” she said, cautioning against what she called a “knee-jerk” reaction to the devastating results.
The Conservatives lost 674 council seats and control of 16 local authorities. In a further blow, they were overtaken by Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats in several key areas. Badenoch acknowledged the surge in support for Reform, saying: “Reform had a good night. We had a bad night. But changing leaders again will not solve the problem — we’ve tried that, and it led to a historic defeat.”
Badenoch, who took over the party leadership in November following a record-breaking general election loss, said the Conservatives are pursuing a “slow and steady” approach, with an emphasis on credible policies over populist promises. “We’re not going to rush out and tell the public things that are not true just to win votes,” she said. “This is about fixing our country, not just winning elections.”
Her comments come amid renewed speculation about her leadership, with Jason Smithers, the former leader of North Northamptonshire council, calling for her resignation. However, former leadership contender and current shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick defended Badenoch, describing her performance as “excellent” and calling for unity.
Despite the Tory collapse, the party did win back the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoralty from Labour. But the overall picture was grim. Reform UK captured 10 councils and gained 677 councillors, capitalising on widespread voter frustration. The Liberal Democrats also had a strong night, gaining 163 seats and taking control of Shropshire, Oxfordshire, and Cambridgeshire.
The Green Party added 44 councillors but fell short in key regional contests.
According to BBC projections, if the local election results were reflected nationally, the Conservatives would receive just 15% of the vote — their worst-ever projected share — behind the Liberal Democrats on 17%. Labour, despite leading nationally, was projected at just 20%, matching its lowest performance from 2009.
Badenoch dismissed speculation that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage could become prime minister, though she conceded, “anything is feasible.” Still, she stressed her focus was on preventing that outcome: “He does not have the answers to the problems the country is facing.”
