Following the recent spate of defections, I convened two focus groups of 2024 Conservative voters in Watford to hear what they made of it all. What does it say about the defectors, and the party they left behind? How did Kemi Badenoch handle it? And are they tempted to follow Messrs Jenrick, Zahawi and Rosindell to their new home?
Few said they had voted Conservative in 2024 with any enthusiasm: “It was only because I felt like they were the best of a bad bunch;” “I didn’t want Labour getting in. But it’s not as if the Conservatives did an amazing job in the last few years. It’s been a complete shambles.”
She’s reinvigorating the party. But what goes behind that?
Most in the groups had a positive view of Kemi Badenoch: “I quite like her. She’s got balls;” “I feel that it needed fresh blood, and she has injected that;” “She’s quite quiet, but she’s articulate. I do like what she says;” “She’s a powerhouse.”
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