Kemi Badenoch To Resign As Party Loses Council Seats

A former Conservative council leader, Jason Smithers, has called on Kemi Badenoch to resign as head of the party following a crushing defeat in local elections.

Smithers, who recently stepped down as leader of North Northamptonshire Council, expressed frustration after the Conservatives lost 37 seats in his former council and 35 more in neighbouring West Northamptonshire.

Reform The UK took control of both councils, long considered Tory strongholds.

Smithers accused Badenoch of failing to support candidates of the party during the campaign, leading to their defeat.

“I don’t see how any party leader can survive results this bad,” Smithers told the BBC’s Politics East on Sunday.

“She has not helped at all in these elections. Not once did she come forward to support us.”

Smithers, who opted not to seek re-election to spend more time with his family, said he will raise the issue directly with Badenoch in an upcoming call.

“I will be putting it to her that she should resign. I fear the Conservative Party could implode unless we find a leader who can rally the troops and restore credibility,” he said.

The Conservatives’ losses were part of a bigger national decline, as they lost control of several councils in the East of England, including Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. In total, they lost over 670 seats across the country.

Speaking at Peterborough, where she went to congratulate Paul Bristow on becoming mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, one of the few bright spots for the party, Badenoch acknowledged the heavy losses.

She apologised to councillors who lost their seats and promised to work on restoring public trust in the party, insisting she would stay on and lead the effort to rebuild the party.

“We have a big job to do to rebuild trust with the public,” said Badenoch, MP for North West Essex.

“My job is to make us a credible alternative to Labour, and I intend to do exactly that,” she added.

Northamptonshire has long been seen as a Conservative stronghold, with the party dominating Westminster seats and local councils for years.

The recent results have deeply unsettled the conservatives, with growing fears that it could face long-term decline unless swift and significant changes are made.

Kemi Badenoch To Resign As Party Loses Council Seats is first published on The Whistler Newspaper