Kemi Badenoch slashes two points off Labour’s lead in her first week as Tory leader

Kemi Badenoch has cut into Keir Starmer’s poll lead in her first week as Conservative Party leader, closing the gap by two points.

The Techne UK weekly tracker poll for The Independent has revealed in the week since she took over from Rishi Sunak, Ms Badenoch has increased the Conservative support by one point to 25 per cent while Labour has fallen a point to 29 per cent reducing the gap from six points to four.

It comes in a difficult week for Sir Keir’s government with continued anger over the £40 billion of tax rises in the Budget particularly the farm land inheritance tax raid and increase in employer contributions to national insurance.

But the reduction in Labour’s lead will be seen as an early personal boost for Ms Badenoch who was praised for having a strong first showing at prime minister’s questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, skewering Sir Keir on his ministers’ past attacks on Donald Trump as the world digested his election victory in America.

She has not had a perfect start with questions over a social media rape joke she made before she was an MP which remained on her Facebook page. Added to that the US election has overshadowed her first week in charge.

The poll offered less good news for Nigel Farage who received no extra bounce from his friend and ally in the US taking back the White House. Reform UK remained stuck on 18 per cent, although still a long way higher than their election showing of 14 per cent.

Sir Ed Davey’s attack on Mr Trump failed to impress voters enough to see support for the Lib Dems hold firm with their share dropping a point to 13 per cent. The Greens remained unchanged on 7 per cent.

Despite the poll boost, data in the polling of 1,632 voters over Wednesday and Thursday this week suggested that Ms Badenoch has a long way to go to turn her party’s fortunes around.

Labour still lead in every age category under 45 while the Conservative lead among older voters remains four points with 55 to 64-year-olds. Where the Tories have made huge gains is among pensioners after chancellor Rachel Reeves cancelled winter fuel payments with Ms Badenoch holding a 12-point lead in this category.

Support for both Labour and Tories appears to not be holding firm from the election with around a quarter of their supporters in July abandoning both parties.

But one sign of hope for Ms Badenoch is that confidence in the government continues to fall dropping a point to 31 per cent this week.