The road ahead for Kemi Badenoch can only be tough, with her newfound power perhaps something of a poisoned chalice. She must cope with a divided party, which won't be easily forgiven by a long-memory electorate, and which must also contend with the challenger Reform UK outflanking the Conservatives at every turn.

Kemi Badenoch said she will tell "hard truths" to both the country and her party as she began her first full day as Conservative leader. In her first interview since winning the Tory leadership election,

Kemi Badenoch dismissed the furore over Partygate, describing the scandal as "overblown" in her first television interview as the new Tory leader on Sunday, 3 November. The MP for North West Essex criticised the then-government for fining people for what she described as "everyday activities" during coronavirus lockdowns.