11 February 2025, 13:35

By Iain Dale

Fifty years ago today Margaret Thatcher was elected leader of the Conservative party by her fellow MPs.

This week Kemi Badenoch celebrated 100 days as the tenth person to hold that position since Margaret Thatcher. We live in different times but there are a remarkable number of challenges that they both face(d) as incoming leaders.

Thatcher won the leadership because she had the balls to challenge Edward Heath. Even though she won over 50% of MPs on the second ballot, they never really wanted her and there were all sorts of moves to destabilise her leadership, even from within her own shadow cabinet.

Badenoch only won the support of a third of her fellow MPs and even after only 100 days there are whispers about how she won’t last. Her previous opponents, Robert Jenrick and James Cleverly already smell the blood of a wounded political animal and both are touring the so-called rubber........

© LBC