I was told a story the other day about Kemi Badenoch which I felt did not put her in the best of lights. She turned up for a breakfast meeting with Lord Bamford, the JCB billionaire. Bamford is an engaging guy and an important Tory funder, having, with his brother, handed the party the best part of £10million over the past 20 years.
In fact, he’s so much part of the Tory establishment he even helped pay for Boris Johnson’s wedding to Carrie Symonds. You would need a mortgage to pick up that drinks bill. No cash bar there.
So, you would have thought that Ms Badenoch would have been all over the good Lord. Instead after a friendly enough 15 minutes of chit chat, she announced she had to go as she had another meeting to attend.
I trust she didn’t say it was an important meeting. She was at an ‘’important meeting’’. I’m told the Bamford entourage were unimpressed. And who could blame them?
Normally the tittle tattle surrounding political leaders is of little account. That does not apply to Kemi. In order to survive the F-bomb which has just fallen on her and her party from Reform she needs all the help she can get. Financial as well as political.
It used to be said by those that know that that she had until the Welsh Senedd elections in May next year (there is a distinct chance the Tories will finish bottom of the poll) before she faced a serious effort to replace her. I think that timeline has shrunk.
Friday's results were a disaster at two levels.
The F-bomb has dropped on Kemi - she has only two options left but her days seem numbered - Kelvin MacKenzieGetty Images
The sheer scale of the numbers which have switched from Tory to Reform can no longer be shrugged off as simply a demonstration of 14 years of hurt started by David Cameron who failed to see Brexit and when asked what his greatest achievement was said; Gay marriage. Give me break.
But even more seriously, what has become blisteringly clear, is that there is no Tory leadership or policies to get behind. I don’t blame Kemi for the result, but the truth is she is not a leader. There is no fire in her belly.
Farage is two decades older than her and yet he has spent every waking hour over the last six weeks travelling between Lincoln, Cornwall, Durham and Runcorn. He had story to tell and wanted the voters to hear it.
I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I am told Kemi likes to devote her weekends to her young family. In politics you are always on and if not, you will be accused of being lazy. That is the word I hear most often in relation to Kemi.
Next comes her choice of senior colleagues. Both her Shadow Chancellor and Home Secretary are from the old school and would bring a tear to a glass eye.
In this social media world you need firebrands, with compelling one-liners. It’s time she brought in some new faces and bring in people like Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg who has shown more loyalty to Kemi than she has shown to him.
She has never picked up the phone to Sir Jacob and said we are desperate to give a sign to voters tempted to defect to Farage that we do have the political expertise within the party to make you feel wanted.
Personally, I would contact Nick Timothy, May’s former Chief of Staff. If he’s as clever as his tweets he would be a revelation. Finally, it’s time to make Robert Jenrick her shadow Home Secretary.
Despite being defeated for leadership Jenrick has shown nothing but loyalty and has grabbed his shadow role with gusto giving Tories at least one good reason to stay with the party.
The turnout at the council elections was abject and come the General Election the numbers will be of a different quantum. However, if Kemi doesn’t start making the weather in a dramatic way this summer, I could see the autumn Tory party conference being a disaster and certainly her last.
Softly, softly which is Kemi’s big idea doesn’t work. Take a tip from Farage. Work harder and shout louder, especially about migration, and you may survive.
Personally, I doubt it.
