Kemi Badenoch has belittled Reform UK as a mere “protest party” in an exclusive interview with GB News’ Political Editor Christopher Hope.

Lumping Nigel Farage’s party in with the likes of the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, the Tory leader maintained that the people’s votes are “all to play for”.

Her seemingly confident verdict has come the very week that pollsters at Ipsos named Nigel Farage the preferred candidate for No10, beating Sir Keir Starmer for the first time.

The parliamentary mischief-maker has been crowned the nation’s favourite, viewed as a better country to lead Britain than the Labour leader by 33 per cent of people.

The incumbent Prime Minister is preferred by 30 per cent of individuals. However, his ratings were still inadequate to quell support for rumbling rival Andy Burnham, whom voters prefer over Sir Keir as well.

A second poll from the gurus at YouGov found Labour drop to its lowest-ever poll rating of a mere 17 per cent of support, limping behind Reform UK by around 10 points.

Meanwhile, the Tories have dropped to 17 per cent after winning 23.7 per cent of votes in the 2024 General Election.

“You’ve gone backwards in the polls,” Christopher pointed out, adding: “Is that a worry for you?”

“Well, we always knew it was going to be very difficult,” Mrs Badenoch admitted.

“The political landscape has fragmented. It’s no longer just about Labour and Conservatives. The protest parties are doing well. We’ve seen the Greens polling at the same as Labour, Reform is too.

“The Lib Dems are there, but there is all to play for. The truth is, we’ve just been kicked out after a historic defeat.

“It’s going to take time. The last oppositions were there 18 years, 13 years, 14 years. I’m going to do this in four years.”

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And, as leadership bids begin to thunder in with new rival Katie Lam rumoured to be at the forefront of the charge, the editor further grilled Mrs Badenoch on her message to those flirting with the idea of submitting letters of no confidence in their one-year-old leader.

A previous poll put Shadow Justice Secretary as the preferred alternative over Mrs Badenoch, party members have indicated.

In response, she brushed the question off, aptly saying: “I don’t have the message to them. This is something that has always been the case for Conservative Party leaders.

“I’m focused right now on what Labour are doing and making a mess of our economy.”

To make matters worse, Mrs Badenoch has suffered several brutal swings from former Prime Ministers over the past week, with Theresa May and John Major sticking their necks above the parapet.

On Monday, Baroness May took aim at the Tory pledge to repeal the Climate Change Act 2008, which forces the Government to cut carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

Addressing the House of Lords, Mrs May said: “This announcement only reinforces climate policy as a dividing line in our politics, rather than being the unifying issue it once was.

“And, for the Conservative Party, it risks chasing votes from Reform at the expense of the wider electorate.”

Asked why she has faced such a telling verdict from previous leaders on the first anniversary of her leadership, Mrs Badenoch simply shrugged: “You will have to ask them.

“I’m afraid that the plans that we have for net zero are not working.”

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