For Kemi Badenoch, less is more.
Before the Tory leadership TV showdown with rival Robert Jenrick, she’d declared: “I’m running a grassroots campaign, not a TV campaign or a media campaign.”
She was the frontrunner, after all, and according to conventional wisdom, had the most to lose from round-the-clock media interviews – which Mr Jenrick has done – and TV debates – which Mr Jenrick has demanded.
But in this TV leadership event in front of an audience of 400 Conservative Party members, hosted by GB News, she was the winner by a considerable distance and will now be odds-on favourite to become the next Tory leader.
This is likely to have been the only TV event with the two leadership candidates, given that a BBC programme proposed for next week is now in doubt because the Tories want to charge the audience for tickets.
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But Ms Badenoch’s performance here certainly appears to have vindicated her strategy of being sparing with her TV appearances. Despite her reputation for abrasiveness, here she was measured, good-natured – polished, even.
Voice-coaching, media training? Possibly. If so, it paid off. She was the clear winner. Calm, poised, well-briefed.
The show of hands among the audience at the end of the two-hour event was overwhelmingly in Ms Badenoch’s favour. And Mr Jenrick will now be struggling to recover. He needs to rethink his campaign.
But it’s almost certainly too late for that. Ballot papers to Conservative Party members were sent out this week and it’s predicted that many of them will vote within a few days of receiving them, so the contest could effectively be almost over.
Mr Jenrick has been accused of being a “one-trick immigration pony” and during this programme he concentrated too much on this one issue. He even prompted a groan from interviewer Christopher…
