Kemi Badenoch ‘has to adapt’ her rhetoric to take on Andy Burnham
The Conservative leader must adjust her approach as the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham is more charismatic than his predecessor. In her speech, she emphasized economic competence and questioned how Burnham would fund his pledges.
Kemi Badenoch’s first speech since the change in prime minister began with an unexpected line: “So, Andy Burnham seems like a nice guy.” But her intention was clear – to undermine her opponent.
Even sceptics inside and outside the Conservative party agree that Badenoch is growing more confident and is crafting a coherent message based on a promise of economic competence. However, Burnham, who replaced Keir Starmer, presents a different challenge. He is more media-savvy, with a self-deprecating humour that can deflect attacks – as seen last month when a viral response made light of Badenoch calling him “a pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt.”
“She has to adapt – it’s like with anything when your opponent changes,” one senior Conservative said. “Burnham is much more likable than Starmer and comes with a fair degree of popularity. She needs to wait for weaknesses, and one immediately seems to be: where is the money coming from for all these giveaways?”
That was a central theme of Badenoch’s speech on Thursday morning, held on a rooftop terrace in central London. Labelling Burnham’s philosophy as “cap one price and send the bill somewhere else,” she repeatedly questioned how the new prime minister would pay for his early flurry of policies. The other theme was ambition: she called Burnham a prime minister “with small answers to big problems.”
Badenoch now holds regular press conferences and lengthy media Q&As, often without a specific policy to announce – a schedule similar to that maintained by Nigel Farage last summer before his byelection and financial questions ended it.
Though Badenoch still takes a largely aggressive approach, she now uses rhetorical registers beyond the caustic antagonism she directed at Starmer and Rachel Reeves. But such an approach may be less effective against more relaxed politicians, noted Luke Tryl, UK director of pollsters More in Common. “If Burnham is seen to just laugh it off it might be less effective than against brittleness. It worked so well against Reeves because she looked shellshocked. I suspect Burnham and John Healey won’t.”
Bigger questions remain: why Badenoch’s improved personal poll ratings haven’t translated into more party support, and whether her muscular rightwing reshaping of the Tories will put off moderate voters. For now, much of the coming weeks will focus on how to tackle a PM who is a “notably more slippery target” than his predecessor. “She has a summer to figure this out,” the senior Tory said. “But she has to be nimble – what works in July might not by September.”
