Before the secret rule change I said whoever won today would be unlikely to be the Tory leader at the next election and I am still sticking to that viewpoint, 79 Tory MPs which is nearly two thirds of the parliamentary party didn’t vote for Badenoch.

The Tory party faces an existential crisis as it could be pincered senseless by Reform and the Lib Dems over the next few years and I am not sure Badenoch has the skillset to deal with that.

If it looks the party looks like it is going to be eclipsed by either the Lib Dems or Reform or both then the Tory Party will panic, there’s a reason why only David Cameron is the only Tory leader since 2001 to have served as leader for more than 38 months.

Ladbrokes have markets up whether on whether Starmer and/or Badenoch will lead their party at the next election. I am not keen on giving Ladbrokes an interest free loan for potentially nearly five years for a near evens return or even a 7/2 return, there are likely to be better proxy bets such as the next leader/PM markets.

TSE

PS – Thoughts and prayers for the ghost of Enoch Powell who has to see a black woman have the whip hand over the Tory party. It is a great sign that the Tory party has replaced a non white man as leader with a black woman.

Given the mess some people on the Labour party and the wider left managed to get themselves in over the first black Chancellor then Kemi Badenoch’s victory could lead to an outbreak of foot-in-mouth disease for her non Tory opponents.