As the dust settles on the local elections, party leaders will be busy trying to identify the right lessons. For the Conservatives, the picture is both clear and complicated. As Kemi Badenoch put it, her party faced a “bloodbath” in councils across the country. That’s the clear bit. The complicated bit concerns what she should or could do to reverse Tory fortunes.

On the weekend broadcast round she reiterated her position that rebuilding her party’s electoral chances will require “slow and steady work” – and that changing leader (again) would not help. She........

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