Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has seen a sustained uptick in personal popularity despite public opinion towards her party remaining negative, a new poll has found.
YouGov has dubbed the trend a “Keminaissance”, with 38 per cent of Britons now saying she is doing well as leader, up from just 14 per cent in October.
A further 27 per cent also see the Conservative leader as prime minister-in-waiting, the results show, up from 8 per cent over the same period.
But at the same time, just 20 per cent of the country says they intend to vote for the Tories at the next general election, up only three percentage points from October.
YouGov researcher Dylan Difford said: “At the core of this is the fact that opinion towards the Conservatives remains poor, even if there have been some improvements since last autumn.”
“A belief that the Conservatives have not learned their lessons from the last election is a major reservation about voting for the party for 28 per cent of those who’ve stuck with the party, as well as for 36 per cent of those who’ve switched to another party or now say they are unsure who to vote for,” he added.
The research also found that the “Kemi Bonus” is more pronounced among Reform UK voters, who have been 20 percentage points more likely to say Ms Badenoch looks like a prime minister-in-waiting, compared to the average 5 to 7 percentage points.
Mr Difford said: “This gap emerged around last winter, around the same time that Conservative voters first became more likely to see Badenoch as prime ministerial than feel the Tories were fit for office, having previously seen things the other way.”
Looking at perceptions of the Conservative leader, more than 40 per cent of Britons agree she is decisive, strong or competent. However, 37 per cent also believe she is untrustworthy, the polling shows.
Ms Badenoch’s boosted ratings now make her the UK’s second most popular political leader, with a one-point net approval, according to an average of recent polls – the first time this figure has risen above zero.
This has seen her overtake the Liberal Democrats’ Sir Ed Davey and Green’s Zack Polanksi, who both sat in first place for popularity at points over the winter.
The spot has been claimed by new prime minister Andy Burnham, at a net 14 points following a sustained boost in support following his appointment last month.
Reform leader Nigel Farage, meanwhile, has seen a substantial drop, falling to a net -26 points while he and his party have focused on contesting the by-election in Clacton-on-Sea.
Labour is now the most popular party for the first time in more than a year, the latest YouGov polling shows, at 24 points to Reform’s 22 and the Conservatives’ 21.
