Kemi Badenoch faces difficulty appearing prime ministerial, particularly over immigration and asylum where she warns of widespread exploitation. Robert Jenrick joined hotel protests and was seen mingling with far-right activists, drawing criticism given past ministerial responsibility. Official figures show asylum claimants in hotels peaked at 56,042 in September 2023 and fell to 32,059 by end of June, with a falling backlog of cases expected to reduce temporary accommodation pressure. Rival parties cite Conservative mismanagement of asylum and accommodation. Political opportunism and demagoguery are constraining measured, fair debate about asylum processes.
The traditional test of effectiveness in a leader of the opposition is whether the holder of that office looks like a prime minister in waiting. It is famously hard to achieve when fronting a party that was recently expelled from office. Kemi Badenoch is struggling with that challenge in most areas, but especially with regard to immigration and asylum. Mrs Badenoch has warned that Britain is being mugged by foreigners who treat the country as the world's softest touch.
On that point she had already been upstaged by Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, who joined protests at the hotel in question, mingling in a crowd alongside notorious far-right activists. Rival parties have been quick to point out that the Conservatives' appalling record of managing the asylum system in general, and the accommodation question in particular, disqualifies them from commenting on the subject.
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