Conservative Party MPs are in open turmoil as support for their party collapses under Kemi Badenoch, with calls growing louder for her to be replaced just six months after taking the helm.

Poll shock leaves tories reeling

A devastating YouGov poll released over the weekend placed the Tories in fourth place — behind Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and Reform UK — a historic low that has rocked the party to its core. The fallout has triggered a renewed push by senior Tories to bring back Boris Johnson, former United Kingdom prime minister, with insiders claiming he is the only figure capable of halting Nigel Farage’s momentum.

Calls grow for Boris comeback

A senior Conservative source told The Sun that “some of the old gang around Boris Johnson are back texting and in talks to get him to return,” adding: “The feeling is he is the only man who can take on Nigel Farage and win. They want to bring back Boris.”

The dramatic shift In mood comes after the party’s catastrophic performance in the May 1 local elections, where it lost 674 council seats — nearly two-thirds of those it was defending — while Reform UK picked up 677. The result has compounded concerns that Badenoch’s leadership has failed to connect with voters, and that her policy priorities are out of step with the public.

“We keep sharpening our knives and putting them back down again. Things are pretty grim,” one Tory MP admitted.

Reform surge sparks panic

Another senior party figure told The Sun: “Team Boris are talking again. There are even some people in Tory HQ who are moonlighting on Project Boris.” The sentiment was echoed by others who argue that Johnson remains the only political figure capable of uniting the right and preventing a total collapse of the Conservative vote.

“Boris is the only thing Reform would fear. He could be a weapon against them in places like the Red Wall,” one MP said.

Johnson, who swept to power in 2019 on a promise to “get Brexit done”, was forced to resign in July 2022 following a series of scandals, including the Partygate affair. Yet despite his tarnished legacy, recent polling suggests he remains a potent electoral force.

Polls suggest Boris is still a vote-winner

A More in Common survey earlier this month found that under Johnson, the Conservatives would lead with 26 percent of the vote, ahead of Reform on 23 percent and Labour on 22 percent.

The same poll claims that Johnson is the only Tory leader capable of drawing back voters defecting to Farage’s Reform UK — now the de facto standard-bearer of the right. With fears mounting that Reform could overtake the Tories at the next general election, some MPs are increasingly desperate.

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Leadership rules buy Badenoch time — for now

The Conservative Party’s rules bar any formal leadership challenge to Badenoch until November, a full 12 months after she was elected leader. But internal manoeuvring is already underway, with some officials considering mass resignations from the shadow cabinet as a pressure tactic.

While Johnson remains the most talked-about alternative, other names have surfaced, including Robert Jenrick, shadow justice secretary, and Laura Trott, shadow education secretary. Both are seen as offering a generational reset without the baggage of the Johnson years.

Loyalists defend Kemi’s position

Still, not everyone in the party is convinced that another leadership change is the answer.

“Anyone who thinks that changing leaders after six months will help needs to get real,” a Tory source said. “The Conservative Party suffered its worst ever defeat last year, and renewing the party from the ground up is going to take time.”

The source defended Badenoch’s approach, saying she is “doing the serious work to develop proper policy plans, rebuild Tory HQ, and hold this disastrous Labour government to account. She will keep touring the country to listen to the public outside the Westminster bubble and work every single day to earn back their trust.”

Michael Gove, former cabinet minister and one of Badenoch’s closest political allies, also offered his support. Speaking to Times Radio, he said: “I think that Kemi’s instincts on almost every issue are right… She has shown a courage that very few other people in British politics have.”

But even loyalists privately acknowledge that the party is facing an existential moment.

Guto Harri, Johnson’s former director of communications, said: “We inevitably are heading for another leadership challenge.”

With the spectre of Reform UK looming ever larger, and support draining away across the country, the question confronting the Conservatives is no longer simply about leadership — but survival. (BusinessDay)