Owen Webster is a Trainee Solicitor in conveyancing and a Conservative Party activist from the West Midlands.
After Britain’s first local elections since the 2024 general election, the verdict could not be clearer: the Conservative Party has suffered its worst local defeat in history. Their share of the vote has collapsed from 36 per cent in 2021 to just 15 per cent this year. Wiped out in all 18 councils they were defending, the party now holds control of none of them.
No pollster predicted a defeat of this magnitude.
At the helm stands Kemi Badenoch, declaring that “the renewal of our party has only just begun.”
Adam Boulton summed up the moment with cutting clarity: “We knew the Conservatives were in intensive care waiting for a heart transplant from Reform UK.” And, indeed, they are. This was not just a minor setback for the party, it was a brutal exclamation mark on fourteen years of Conservative government. Reform UK has surged by offering a clear vision of Britain’s future, gaining support from both the Tories in rural England and disillusioned Labour voters. In stark contrast, the Conservatives continue to keep their plans for “renewal” locked behind closed doors.
Understandably, the party is not ready to unveil a full manifesto, but voters need more than vague declarations of being “better than the alternative.” They need hope, optimism, and a reason to believe. As Lewis Goodall noted, when comparing the messaging of the three main parties, it is no wonder voters are turning to Reform. The Tory message essentially boils down to: “[Britain is broken]… we sorta broke it but didn’t really break it but we’ll do a better job than Farage” It does not sound like a party hungry for government. It sounds like one that has lost the will to lead.
It has also been reported that, “Tory MPs are now openly questioning Mrs Badenoch’s strategy of making few policy announcements”, claiming that she is “running a renewal process for the Conservatives behind closed doors”. But, looking back at the leadership election last year, this should be no surprise. Kemi showed little urgency in releasing policy during the leadership race, but the party can’t afford to wait any longer. It needs to offer voters something real. In failing to do this, the voters have further turned on the party, which has led them to lose every single one of the 18 councils they were defending. According to The Times, Badenoch spent the day after the election doom scrolling, perhaps wondering what went wrong. Part of the answer lies in her lack of leadership and the complete failure of her first months in charge.
Leadership requires strength. It demands ideas that are bold, fresh, and grounded in the concerns of the electorate. Currently, the Conservative leadership displays none of those qualities. The people around Badenoch appear deluded, praising her performance despite all evidence to the contrary. Following the election, Jenrick claimed that Badenoch had done “a bloody good job”, which is quite confusing as the Tory party had lost more seats than predicted. One can only assume that he was on about a bloody good job at increasing his leadership chances.
In a post-election Telegraph column, Badenoch expressed regret over the result and recalled that an ally had warned her at the start of her leadership: “If I were you, I’d want to lose this one. The party is split seven different ways, headquarters is exhausted, and the May 2025 locals are going to be a total bloodbath.“
The warning was clear. Yet, even with that foreknowledge, the party launched no real campaign. There was no visible pushback against the current government. The opposition went largely unheard during a critical political moment. The public has now done what the Tory party long did to them: they have switched off. Just 2 per cent of voters expect to see Badenoch as Prime Minister after the next general election. Polling places the Conservatives at 17.8 per cent, which would leave them with just 25 seats, making them the fifth-largest party in Parliament. This is not just a decline. It is the precipice of extinction.
After the Monarchy’s turbulent 1992, Queen Elizabeth II remarked, “there can be no doubt, of course, that criticism is good for people and institutions that are part of public life. No institution… should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who don’t.” The Late Queen listened. The Late Queen apologised. The Monarchy evolved.
The Conservative Party, if it wishes to survive, must now do the same. Renewal cannot happen behind closed doors. It must begin with honesty, vision, and the courage to lead. Badenoch and her allies would do well to heed that advice because if the party cannot face the public with courage and clarity, it may not face the public at all after the next election.
