The 'Keminaissance' Is a Myth: Badenoch Is Reviving, Not Reforming, the Tories' 'Nasty Party' Image
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/frances-ryan. "I’m not buying into the ‘Keminaissance’. If the Tories lowered the bar any further, they’d be Reform UK | Frances Ryan | The Guardian." October 3, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
Frances Ryan argues that despite media talk of a Conservative comeback under Kemi Badenoch, this 'Keminaissance' is an illusion. Instead of fixing the party's toxic reputation, Badenoch is doubling down on cruel welfare policies and culture-war fights, pushing the Tories further right in a losing race to out-extreme Reform UK, which will likely doom rather than save the party.
Conclusion
The narrative of a 'Keminaissance' (a Badenoch-led Conservative revival) is false; rather than rehabilitating the Conservative party's reputation, Badenoch is deliberately pursuing a rightward, punitive strategy that deepens the party's 'nasty party' image, making genuine electoral recovery unlikely.
Premises
- Badenoch's recent policy proposals (a 'subsistence allowance' restricting what benefits can buy, barring young people from benefits, cutting universal credit) are punitive measures targeting the poor and unemployed rather than substantive economic solutions, saving a comparatively trivial £538m against a £154bn pension bill.
- Despite slight improvement in Badenoch's personal poll ratings, only 19% of Britons believe the Conservative party is ready for government, showing the party's broader image remains toxic.
- Badenoch has avoided addressing or reckoning with past Conservative failures (Brexit, Partygate, Truss's tax cuts, Osborne's austerity) or offering solutions to current crises like NHS waiting lists and living standards.
- Instead of policy substance, Badenoch has focused her energy on culture-war issues (critical race theory, net zero U-turn, leaving the ECHR), suggesting ideological positioning over governance.
- Badenoch has explicitly stated centrist ideas are unwelcome in the party and told one-nation Tories to 'get out of the way,' confirming a deliberate rightward direction rather than reputational repair.
- The competitive dynamic with Reform UK (and further-right challengers like Restore) is pushing the Conservatives to adopt increasingly extreme welfare-cutting positions, described as a 'Russian doll' of escalating extremism.
- Badenoch continues to rule out a pact with Reform while seemingly adopting Reform-adjacent policies, indicating confusion or contradiction in strategy rather than a coherent path to power.
Assumptions
- Policies perceived as punitive toward benefit claimants and young unemployed people constitute or reinforce a 'nasty party' image.
- Genuine electoral recovery requires reputational rehabilitation and centrist appeal, not rightward policy shifts.
- Media narratives of a 'Keminaissance' are primarily driven by sympathetic or desperate right-wing press rather than objective indicators.
- Voters' personal approval of a leader is distinct from and less important than overall party trust/favorability for electoral success.
- The author assumes cruelty or harshness in policy is self-evidently wrong and politically counterproductive, rather than potentially popular with a segment of voters.
- Engaging in culture wars is incompatible with or detracts from serious governance and policy development.